Man convicted of vehicular homicide for slamming into car at 120 mph while livestreaming on Facebook

A jury has convicted a man of vehicular homicide for causing a fatal car crash by racing his car down a Colorado highway at speeds reaching 167 mph.

On Oct. 13, 2018, Bryan Kirby, 44, was livestreaming on Facebook while on E-470, a beltway that runs along the eastern section of the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area.

The tollway has a 75-miles-per-hour speed limit.

“During the livestream, the vehicle’s speed fluctuated between 120 and 150 miles per hour,” the Colorado District Attorney’s Office noted. “At one point, Kirby accelerated to 167 miles per hour, addressed the livestream, and said, ‘We cruise at 140.’”

Kirby then continued commenting as he drove between 140 and 155 miles per hour before decelerating to around 120 miles per hour near the end of the livestream.

At that point, according to the D.A., a sedan was in the right lane when Kirby rapidly approached from the left, crossed over the center lane markings and hit the vehicle’s rear.

“A loud crunching noise could be heard in the livestream as the phone appeared to tumble around the interior of the vehicle, and the video abruptly stopped,” the D.A. said. “Following the crash, Kirby fled the area.”

The victim, 67-year-old Robert Hamilton, was pronounced dead at the scene, KCNC-TV reported.

“The incredibly reckless actions of this defendant caused the death of an innocent victim,” District Attorney Brian Mason said. “He not only acted in a manner that ultimately caused someone’s death, he livestreamed it on social media for the world to see.”

The Adams County jury took four days to deliberate and on July 15 convicted Kirby of three felony counts: vehicular homicide, reckless manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 10.

“This death was preventable,” Mason said. “Recklessly driving at an outrageous speed and livestreaming at the same time is not acceptable in this community. I appreciate the jury returning a guilty verdict in this horrific case.”