Driver Pleads Guilty To Hit & Run That Killed Bingham Family

DENVER -- The man accused of running over and killing a mother and her two children while they were crossing a downtown Denver crosswalk , and then fleeing the scene, pleaded guilty Monday in the case.

Lawrence Trujillo entered guilty pleas to all 13 charges, including vehicular homicide while driving under the influence, child abuse resulting in death, and leaving the scene of an accident. 

There was no plea bargain in place.

Trujillo's attorney said that Trujillo wanted to plead guilty because he didn't want  to put his family or the Bingham family through the  ordeal of a trial, which was scheduled to begin next week.

"I think, ultimately, what it boils down to is that Larry Trujillo is a good person. Larry Trujillo has children. He's got a wife. And he did not want Mr. Bingham or his family to relive that awful night," said Trujillo's attorney, Rob Bernhardt.

Trujillo admitted he was drunk when he drove his pickup truck through a red light at 15th and Arapahoe streets last November, striking the family of four.

Rebecca Bingham, 39, and her two children, 4-year-old Macie and 2-year-old Garrison, were killed. Only the father, Frank Bingham, 41, survived.

Bingham was in court Monday to hear Trujillo admit to the charges.

"Mr. Trujillo's willingness to admit his guilt today provided some degree of closure ," Bingham said.  "I hope that Judge Hoffman does not see this, in any way, as mitigating the recklessness and the complete disregard for human life that Mr. Trujillo showed on Nov. 10."

Police found Trujillo by tracing the license plate of the truck he was driving. It was knocked off during the collision.

When he is sentenced Oct. 2, he could get a range of punishment from 16 years mimimum to 174 years maximum, depending on whether the judge orders him to serve the term concurrently or consecutively.

Judge Morris B. Hoffman told Trujillo that his practice is to impose consecutive sentences, which means that Trujillo could be spending the rest of his life behind bars. 
"I think if Mr. Trujillo ever comes out of prison, he should be quite an old man when it happens," said Bingham.

The specific charges that Trujillo pleaded guilty to are three counts of vehicular homicide driving under the influence, three counts of vehicular homicide reckless driving, three counts of leaving the scene of a deadly accident, two counts of child abuse resulting in death, one count of vehicular assault and one count of leaving the scene of a nonfatal accident.