Man convicted in 2022 crash that killed 4 teenagers, injured 4 more

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (KDVR) — A man has been convicted in a 2022 crash that killed four teenagers and injured four more.

Driver Brandon Howey was found guilty last week in connection to the February 2022 crash. Commerce City Police say he was going more than 90 miles an hour near Highway 58 and 112th Avenue when he crashed into a vehicle carrying eight teenagers.

John Bledsoe, Jamie Withers, Katelyn Sweeney and Michael Burkhard lost their lives that night.

"There's no, I guess, really justice because there's lives lost and this guy's life is never going to be the same. I guess there is some solace in being convicted. It's not going to bring them back though or change the situation," said John's aunt, Ashley Hoffman.

John's now 17-year-old brother was also in the car but survived the crash.

"He's recovered fairly well physically, but mentally I don't think he's ever been the same since it happened," said Hoffman. "It's hard because we get to see our other nephew grow up so that's a good thing ... Especially with the holidays, it weighs on you because there is always that empty seat."

Commerce City officers called this crash "one of the most horrific two-car collisions most of us (officers) have ever seen" in a social media post on Friday. The agency said that although Howey was facing vehicular homicide and vehicular assault charges, the jury ultimately convicted the driver of four lesser counts of careless driving resulting in death and four counts of careless driving resulting in serious bodily injury.

"We would like to thank the Adam's County District Attorney's Office, our crash investigators and detectives who responded to this violent incident, and all experts who testified on behalf of the prosecution. We hope the families of the children killed and gravely injured feel there is some justice in this verdict," said the Commerce City Police Department.

Howey is expected to be sentenced on Jan. 24.

"Something that you'll never really get past, I don't know if any amount of time is really going to provide happiness for anybody," said Hoffman.