Coban Porter, brother of Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr. and former University of Denver basketball player, will serve six years in prison for vehicular homicide charges following a drunk-driving crash that left a Denver mother dead.
Denver District Court Judge Ericka Englert sentenced 22-year-old Porter on Friday to six years in prison for one count of vehicular homicide (DUI) and three years concurrently for one count of vehicular assault (DUI) following the Jan. 22, 2023 fatal crash that left 42-year-old Katharina Rothman dead and Jason Blanch, 47, severely injured.
“As a parent, you are not supposed to bury your children,” Rothman's mother, Connie Johnson, told the judge while stifling tears.
"As a mother, you know your child before they are even born into this world. You feel their heartbeat. You go through the labor. You raise them and you try your hardest to infinitely protect them. I did that for Kathy all my life," she said. "But how was I supposed to protect my child from this?"
The crash
Rothman was working as an Uber driver on the night of Jan. 21, 2023. She was driving Blanch in her 2023 Tesla T3 in the area of the DU campus.
Around the same time, Porter was drinking at the Crimson and Gold Tavern, becoming "visibly intoxicated" and being continuously served by the staff, according to a lawsuit later filed by Blanch.
Porter eventually left the bar and began driving his vehicle.
Around 2 a.m. Jan. 22, Porter traveled eastbound on East Buchtel Boulevard in a 2014 Ford Edge while Rothman and Blanch traveled northbound on South University Boulevard. Rothman had a green light and Porter did not, according to the arrest affidavit from the Denver Police Department. Porter failed to stop and crashed into the Uber, killing Rothman and leaving Blanch severely injured.
The crash occurred less than a mile from the Crimson and Gold Tavern.
Porter was speeding, ran a red light, smelled of alcohol and had slurred speech, according to the affidavit.
Blanch's lawsuit alleged that he was driving at approximately 50 mph — 20 mph over the speed limit.
Prosecutor Austin Leighty on Friday noted that Porter had a blood alcohol content of 0.191 following the crash. The legal limit to not be considered under the influence while driving is 0.08. He also said the light was red for at least 23 seconds before Porter drove through it.
Porter pleaded guilty to the two counts on Feb. 8, entering a plea agreement that dismissed the other charges of vehicular homicide-reckless driving and vehicular assault-reckless.
As a result of the plea deal, his sentence was capped at a maximum of eight years in the Colorado Department of Corrections.
"The terrible irony here is that we don't have to look outside of the facts of this case to know what [Porter] should have done that evening," Leighty said. "Rothman was driving an Uber. She was taking someone home who did the responsible thing to call and Uber instead of drive himself and he was the one who got serious injured. The community is tired of these type of fatalities. Tired of calling them accidents, because they aren't."
Porter still faces two civil cases filed by Blanch and Katharina's husband Mason Rothman in January.
Despite different dates and law firms, the lawsuits echo the same allegation: both Porter and the Crimson and Gold Tavern that served him are at fault for the death and traumatic brain injury. Both lawsuits claim the bar served Porter despite him being visibly intoxicated.
Chapter of healing
The death of Rothman left her family, including a five-year-old son, in shambles.
"Losing Kathy has left behind a little boy, Pate, who will never be able to have his mom see him grow up," Phillip Beach, Rothman's stepfather, said. "He'll go through his life explaining to everyone significant that his mother was killed by a drunk driver."
Though Rothman's family packed out the majority of the Denver District courtroom Friday, plenty of people stood in defense of Porter — explaining his character as a kind-hearted, responsible soul who made a bad decision.
"He was the one that I looked up to even though I'm the oldest brother," Michael Porter Jr. said.
"As the oldest brother in the family, I wish it was me," Porter Jr. continued. "I wish I could trade places with you take this off of you but, I know if there's anybody that will make it right and make any good possible come out of this situation, it's you."
Both Porter Jr. and Sophie Bushong, a director at Fellowship of Christian Athletes, noted that Porter had been struggling with depression and drinking prior to the crash due to an ACL tear that took him out of his sophomore basketball season.
Regardless, Porter noted that there were no excuses that could be made while addressing the court.
"I know that I’m never going to be able to right that wrong, but I hope that somehow, some way, I’m able to make a difference for people who were like me," Porter said. "I never thought I’d be standing here. I thought I was invincible. It wasn’t the first time I chose to drink and drive."
Porter continued to repeatedly apologize, noting that he's sorry the woman's life had to be taken for him to learn a lesson.
"I don't know why her life was taken and not mine," he said. "If it was my choice, 10 times out of 10 I'd rather it be me than her."
Now, Porter will serve six years in prison with three years of mandatory parole — effectively ending his basketball career.
Though Judge Englert said she must take into account a defendant's character, she added that her job is to treat people equally and keep punishment fair.
"I don’t usually have 55 character letters written on behalf of a defendant," Judge Englert said. "By all accounts, you seem to be a man of character, kindness and integrity. That just adds another layer of the tragedy that’s before the court today."
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