A 52-year-old man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for his role in a hit-and-run crash that claimed the life of a Colorado State Patrol trooper last year.

The man pleaded guilty to tampering with physical evidence and vehicular homicide while driving under the influence last month. The judge also required the man to complete mandatory parole of five years.

The hit-and-run occurred last November when the trooper was out of her patrol vehicle on Interstate 25. She was trying to get a driver to pull over who she thought was intoxicated when a truck struck and killed her.

The man admitted to drinking six beers while he attended the Denver Broncos game. He apologized to the trooper's family and told the judge that he wasn't aware that he had hit her when it happened. According to the prosecutor, the man had to drive around the trooper's body to continue down the highway. He pulled over to see how much damage was done to this truck and then asked his passenger what was in the cooler. Two beers and a bottle opener were dumped along the side of the road.

The trooper's husband said, "no sentence handed down in this case will ever be harsh enough or bring [her] back." The woman had an 8-month-old little girl when she was killed.

If you are charged with drinking and driving, you should begin to develop your criminal defense strategy immediately. There are many DUI cases that can be won in court because of something the arresting officer might have done wrong procedurally. Anyone charged with such a crime has a right to a fair trial and an opportunity to appeal an unfavorable sentence.

Source: The Gazette, "Peyton man who hit, killed Colorado State Patrol trooper sentenced to eight years in prison," Chhun Sun, June 29, 2016