Teen Drunk Driver Sentenced for Thornton Crash That Killed Father of Eight

One week after the anniversary of a deadly drunk driving crash that claimed Christian ‘Melo’ Santamaria‘s life, the teenage driver was sent to prison.

David Mendez-Reyes of Brighton was sentenced to seven years in the Department of Corrections, followed by three years of parole, on Friday, March 27, in Adams County Court. He pleaded guilty to one count of felony vehicular homicide DUI on January 29, two days after his nineteenth birthday.

Mendez-Reyes was reportedly driving 117 miles per hour on March 20, 2025, when he ran a red light and struck a turning vehicle at the intersection of East 120th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard in Thornton, according to his arrest affidavit. The other driver was killed instantly: 35-year-old Santamaria, a father of eight children, aged two to fourteen.

“It doesn’t matter what sentence I impose here today; there is nothing I’m ever going to be able to do to bring Christian back,” Judge Arturo Hernandez said. “What the court is trying to do is do the right thing for both sides as best as I can. At the end, it’s not going to be anything that anyone will be happy with.”

Mendez-Reyes faced up to twelve years in prison, according to the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Numerous friends and family members of Santamaria addressed the court on Friday, requesting the maximum sentence. 

Santamaria’s loved ones expressed frustration over what they view as leniency toward Mendez-Reyes throughout the court process. Mendez-Reyes had been out on bond leading up to the sentencing, spending just eight days in custody.

“It’s time for him to be locked up,” said Maria Cruz Gomez Mejia, Santamaria’s mother, between sobs. “A whole year has gone by and he’s still out free. My son is buried underground. …This person took his life away from me in a very cruel way, a very cruel manner, as if he were an animal.” 

Mendez-Reyes gazed straight ahead, arms crossed, during the victim testimonies. He briefly spoke to the court himself, apologizing for his actions, but he was cut off when his remarks began to target the victim’s family, criticizing them for “bad mouthing” and “stalking” his own family.

Mendez-Reyes’s lawyer requested that he be spared from prison entirely and instead be sent to community corrections.

“When Mr. Mendez did this horrible act, he was eighteen years old,” attorney Craig Mastro said, emphasizing Mendez-Reyes’s lack of criminal history. “He didn’t target Mr. Santamaria. …He was being an eighteen-year-old, a stupid one. He made that choice, and that’s why he’s standing in front of you, and he needs to be sentenced, your honor. I just don’t believe it’s prison.”

At the time of the crash, Mendez-Reyes was an eighteen-year-old senior at Brighton High School, out on spring break. His driver’s license was already suspended due to excessive points, 9News reported.

Mendez-Reyes was found naked and acting erratically at the crash scene, attempting to get back into his burning vehicle, 9News reported.

His blood alcohol content was 0.151, according to the arrest affidavit. That’s nearly double the DUI threshold for drivers over 21 and more than seven times the threshold for underaged drinkers. Toxicology results also showed evidence of marijuana in his system.

Mendez-Reyes was arrested in late June, three months after the crash. He was initially charged with vehicular homicide reckless driving and driving under restraint, in addition to vehicular homicide DUI, according to the Thornton Police Department. The former two charges were dismissed as part of the plea deal.

Santamaria was the oldest of four siblings, worked as a landscaper in Thornton and was an avid fan of basketball and Pokémon, according to his obituary.

“Christian had one of the biggest hearts in the world,” Santamaria’s obituary reads. “He would open his heart to anyone he knew. …Christian had the energy to lift anyone’s spirits up when people were feeling down. Christian was loved by many people, and Christian made a huge impact on the people he loved most. Christian is missed dearly and loved by everyone he leaves behind.”

Donations can be made to Santamaria’s family at gofundme.com.