A truck driver accused of murdering a locksmith after a dispute over payment will be allowed to go home to his family.
31-year-old truck driver Erick Mejia was arrested late last month after allegedly running over 55-year-old Guillermo Duran with his truck over a payment for locksmithing services. He was arrested on Interstate 25 in Arapahoe County, Colorado after apparently completing a delivery following the crime.
Now, Mejia has been charged with vehicular homicide and is being held in Colorado, but will soon be allowed to return home to his family in Texas, according to a judge ruling.
In response to the ruling, relatives and supporters of Duran showed up outside of the Arapahoe County Courthouse in a demonstration against the decision to release Mejia.
“It’s upsetting, but I trust the law,” Chelsy Duran, Guillermo Duran’s daughter, said to Fox 31. “It’s his [Mejia’s] word against my father’s word, and unfortunately, my dad is not here to defend himself.”
“This family’s dad was left on the road to die, and this individual, who caused the death of somebody, is now allowed to return to his family,” said Giorgia Turpen, attorney for the Duran family.
Turpen says that requested that a GPS monitor be put on Mejia prior to his release, but the judge did not honor the request.
“The (district attorney) did make that argument with the court today, and unfortunately, the judge decided to go away with that,” Turpen said. “The DA is open to increasing and changing the charges should additional evidence come in.”
Mejia’s preliminary hearing is set for February 14th.