UPDATE: Teen charged in deadly Black Forest crash sentenced to four years; families speak out

UPDATE: Oct. 16, 11:00 a.m.

Marshal Gregory will spend four years in a youth offender service program in Pueblo.

BACKGROUND:

The teenager charged in a deadly Black Forest car crash is set to be sentenced on Friday after accepting a plea deal.

Marshal Gregory, 18, pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide in August and will likely be sentenced to four to six years in the youth offender system.

“It’s still incarceration when they can’t leave the facility, like the Department of Corrections,” said deputy district attorney Andrew Vaughan. “The rate of re-offenders coming out of the YOS program is significantly better than the Department of Corrections.”

Gregory was charged in a crash that happened near the intersection of Hodgen Road and Roller Coaster Road in Black Forest on Sept. 1, 2014. There were four teens in the car when Gregory ran a stop sign, lost control and crashed, according to investigators.

Beau Begier and Ryan Pappas, both of Monument, were killed in the crash.

“I think a lot of teens out there don’t realize there are actual consequences for driving while intoxicated, and in this case, driving while under the influence of drugs and alcohol,” Vaughan said.

If Gregory is accepted into the youth offender system as part of his plea deal, and he completes the program, his suspended sentence will be removed. If he fails to complete the program, a suspended sentence will be imposed with the Department of Corrections. There is an 18-year DOC sentence cap.