A jury found Logan Riffey, 20, not guilty on all counts Friday after a week-long trial at the 22nd Judicial District Court.
In the early morning of March 7, 2010, Riffey arrived bleeding and partially clothed at the doorstep of a residence near the intersection of Colorado Highway 145 and County Road N.
Toxicology tests allegedly revealed the teen to be over the legal limit for alcohol consumption.
A 2000 Volkswagen Jetta was found resting on its side in a nearby field. Emergency responders extracted Jordan Hankins, 21, from the wreck with a punctured lung and a fractured back.
A key issue of the trial was for the jury to determine which of the men was driving the vehicle.
According to an affidavit filed by the state patrol, a witness at a party alleged Riffey admitted to being intoxicated and she saw him get into the drivers side of the vehicle but was not present to see him drive away.
During court proceedings Wednesday, District Attorney Russell Wasley said three witnesses saw Riffey behind the wheel of the car at one point or another during the party.
Defending Riffey, attorney Richard Sims fired back.
The prosecution has misstated the evidence, Sims said. She had left at least 20 minutes before (the defendant).
Residual DNA found on the steering wheel likely belongs to Riffey, Rebecca Strub, a forensic scientist with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, testified Monday. However, on cross examination, Strub said Riffey is believed to drive the vehicle often and she is unable to determine when the DNA was deposited.
Christopher Gayner, an accident reconstructionist testifying for the defense, argued Riffeys injuries indicate he was hurt by the seat belt on the passengers side a point contested in testimony from an emergency room doctor, forensic pathologist and a crash scene reconstructionist with the Colorado State Patrol.
Trooper Jonathan Silver testified that based on his reconstruction of the accident, he believes neither of the men were wearing their seat belts as the car rolled 200 feet tossing the occupants around like shoes in a laundry dryer.
Silver testified he believes the vehicle was Westbound on Road N when it blasted through a stop sign, launched airborne off the crown of the highway, slammed down on the pavement, ruptured its oil pan, and skidded out of control smashing backward through a fence.
According to the affidavit, Hankins told investigators Riffey was driving the vehicle when he said he was going to jump the road, and that is all he can remember.
On cross examination, Silver said his reconstruction of the accident was unable to determine who the driver was at the time of the crash.
Reach Reid Wright at [email protected].
