A Colorado man is facing a felony charge after police say he struck and killed a pedestrian in Denver’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, according to court records.
Alejandro Sifuentes, 29, was arrested Jan. 7, five days after Denver police say he hit 19-year-old Angelo Simpson while Simpson was crossing North Kalamath Street near West 11th Avenue on the evening of Jan. 2.
Sifuentes was initially arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident involving death, both felonies, according to an arrest affidavit.
Court records on Thursday showed he is charged with one felony count of leaving the scene of an accident involving death.
Witnesses told police a gray Honda SUV was speeding at 100 mph when it hit Simpson as he was crossing the street in a crosswalk, according to an affidavit.
Investigators found the Honda with front-end and windshield damage parked in front of a Lakewood home, and tipsters later told police that Sifuentes talked about hitting someone while he was driving too fast to stop.
Sifuentes also told people he went to a friend’s house, cleaned blood off the vehicle and put a cover over it, then got rid of his phone and bought a new one “so he could not be followed,” according to the affidavit.
After he was arrested, Sifuentes told detectives he had tried to swerve before hitting Simpson, then panicked and left the scene.
Sifuentes previously pleaded guilty to second-degree assault involving strangulation and third-degree assault in a 2022 domestic violence case, court records show. He was sentenced to a two-year deferred prison sentence and 12 months of probation in April 2023.
He also has two open criminal cases for violating a court order in June and for domestic violence assault in December.
Sifuentes is in custody at the Denver Downtown Detention Center and is set to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 5.
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