Immigration officials have caught a teenager who was brought to the U.S. illegally and was found guilty of killing a woman in a high-speed crash but did not go to jail. His family has also been arrested.
After making a deal with authorities, the 16-year-old from Colombia was given probation and community service for the death of 24-year-old Kaitlyn Weaver in Aurora in July 2024.
ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) said the teen and his family were living in the U.S. illegally on May 20. The teen has not been named publicly because of state rules that protect the identities of juvenile police suspects.
An ICE spokeswoman told, “The minor was found guilty in Colorado’s 18th Judicial District and was given probation and community service.” In the course of its normal duties, ICE catches illegal immigrants who break the law and other people who have done the same. No matter what country they are from, anyone breaking U.S. immigration law can be arrested, detained, and, if found removable by final order, sent back to their home country.
The teen will stay with ICE until a deportation hearing, the agency said.
Weaver died when the teen hit her car head-on at a crossing while she was sitting in her car at a stop sign. He was racing in a Jeep with other teens in a private area at speeds of up to 90 mph, police said.
Weaver was on life support for two days before her organs were taken away and she was taken off.
The girl’s dad, John Weaver, told that U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., told him that ICE would do something about the teen.
“I appreciate ICE taking enforcement action, and I really appreciate the outpouring of support from everyone,” Weaver shared Thursday.
The teen was caught and charged with vehicular homicide at first. There was a “no plea offer” case at the time, John Weaver said, according to the Arapahoe County District Attorney’s office.
After that, they gave the teen a deal if he accepted guilt.
In a 2012 interview, Matthew Durkin, the lawyer for the Weaver family, called the deal “abhorrent,” pointing out that Weaver was killed when she was at the height of her powers.
At the time, John Weaver said that the teen was in the U.S. without a license and illegally.
“We had a collision where the immigration system and the criminal justice system collided, and now my daughter’s dead,” said he.
The teen has an asylum claim that is still being processed, but ICE says that asylum claims do not stop people from being detained.
