Colorado man indicted for road rage crash in May that killed 2
Authorities in Boulder County have arrested and charged a man who, they say, intentionally crashed his truck into another car, sending it into oncoming traffic, and killing two occupants. He's now charged with murder.
The Boulder County District Attorney's Office announced Monday that it had indicted 54-year-old Earl James Garczynski, charging him with two counts of first-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, leaving the scene of an accident, two counts of vehicular homicide and tampering with evidence -- all felonies.
According to investigators, Garczynski showed "malice" and "extreme indifference to the value of human life," when he caused Daniel Wright and James Jacobson to crash, killing them. On May 19, police responded to a four-vehicle crash on Highway 287 around milepost 322 in Longmont. When they arrived, they found Wright and Jacobson dead and the driver of another vehicle seriously injured.
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Witnesses and traffic camera footage indicated the crash was allegedly caused by the driver of a maroon-colored Dodge Ram 1500, who then drove off, police say. That evidence led police to learn the driver stopped to argue with the occupants of a Chevrolet Camaro -- Wright and Jacobson. The two got back on the road, driving "normally."
Garczynski allegedly pursued the two, driving approximately 100 mph, police said. Witnesses told them Garczynski tailgated, swerved around, brake-checked and swiped the Camaro. He eventually hit them during a "sudden jerk" into the Camaro, a witness told police. Several witnesses described Garczynski's move as a "PIT" maneuver, similar to what police will use to stop cars.
"Investigative information is consistent with the driver of another motor vehicle intentionally colliding with the decedent's motor vehicle, leading to the motor vehicle crash and subsequent lethal injuries," the coroner's office wrote in its report.
Police reviewed traffic camera footage and noted a red license plate frame on Garczynski's truck in a news release at the time. They determined Garczynski owned the truck through the license plate number. When investigators contacted him, they said he removed the license plate frame.
Garczynski never called the police and when he was interviewed by them, he denied getting out of his truck or ever being involved in a crash. As police presented more evidence, they said he changed his story multiple times.
Investigators later interviewed a friend of Garczynski, who they say he was on the phone with at the time of the crash. That friend told police he heard Garczynski say the Camaro was trying to race him. He then heard engines revving, tires screeching, tires rumbling and then Garczynski saying, "that mother f***er won't do that again."
He's being held in the Boulder County Jail on a $1 million bond.
Garczynski has a long list of charges and convictions dating back to at least the 1980s, Colorado court records show. Most of those are traffic-related. Details were not available for all of those cases, but he was found guilty of theft in 1987 and 1993 and burglary in 1994. He's also been convicted of driving on a restricted license and driving without insurance. His 16 cases span Arapahoe, Boulder, Jefferson and Weld Counties.
