A Louisville man was allegedly driving at least twice the speed limit and weaving in and out of traffic before causing the Dec. 12 crash that killed a 16-year-old and his mother, according to an arrest affidavit. He was charged Thursday with vehicular homicide and DUI.
Jose Menjivar, 37, was arrested Friday in connection to the crash on Main Street near Broomfield High School that killed high school student Riordan Powell and his mother, Melissa Powell, 46.
The 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office Thursday announced they have charged Menjivar with two counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of DUI – fourth or subsequent offense, the district attorney’s office said in a news release.
In a letter sent Dec. 13 to students and families, Broomfield High School Principal Ginger Ramsey said Riordan was a student at both Broomfield High and the Boulder Technical Education Center.
Menjivar was driving a 2000 Toyota Tundra south on Main Street when he crashed into a 2016 Mazda CX-5 Melissa was driving, which was turning left from eastbound Miramonte Boulevard onto Main Street, at about 1:45 p.m., according to an arrest affidavit.
Melissa Powell died at the scene, and Riordan died later at a hospital.
Witnesses told police they observed Menjivar before the crash driving at least 80 mph in the 40-mph speed zone, the affidavit states, and he passed several vehicles while crossing a double yellow center line.
After the crash, investigators found at least two empty beer cans on the front passenger floorboard of Menjivar’s vehicle, another beer can on the roadway and an open beer case in the rear passenger seat with missing cans.
Officers could also “smell an overwhelming odor of an unknown alcoholic beverage emitting from the interior of the Tundra,” according to the affidavit.
Menjivar was taken to a hospital for his injuries, and officers completed a warrant to have a blood-alcohol test performed. His blood-alcohol content was .249, according to the affidavit, three times higher than the legal limit of .08.
Menjivar previously pleaded guilty to driving while impaired in Boulder County in 2007 and 2016, according to court records.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, to correct Melissa Powell’s age to 46. Incorrect information was previously provided by a source.
