Driver who killed Magnus White last July pleads not guilty: "This plea is a direct insult to Magnus’s memory"

Nearly a year passed since the tragic events from Boulder, Colorado. Last July, the 17-year-old Magnus White, who was training for MTB World Championships, was run over by a car on a designated bike route in broad daylight. Yeva Smilianska, 23, was charged last December with Felony of Vehicular Homicide. Last week, the White family released an updated statement after Smilianska pleaded not guilty to the charges.

"Every day, we endure the unimaginable pain of living through a parent’s worst nightmare. Last week was high school graduation, a moment Magnus should have shared with his classmates, proudly wearing his cap and gown and receiving his diploma. Each missed milestone brings an overwhelming wave of emotions that no family should ever have to bear."

"The pain is both emotional and physical as we face each day without Magnus. The driver’s decision to plead not guilty, to take no responsibility for her actions, compounds the grave injustice we are confronting. This was not an accident; this was a crime. The driver ended the life of a child. This plea is a direct insult to Magnus’s memory and shows a blatant disregard for the sanctity of human life."

"We implore the court to grasp the full extent of the devastation this act has brought upon our family and the community. Yeva ended Magnus’s life—a life that was brimming with immense potential. She has stolen his future, denied him any opportunity to pursue his ambitions, and irrevocably destroyed our lives."

The judge set a trial date for the week of December 16, 2024, and expects it to last five days.