Colorado

Colorado drunk driver receives life sentence after killing Air Force serviceman father of four at gas station

Published

8 months ago

July 4, 2025

Colorado drunk driver receives life sentence after killing Air Force serviceman father of four at gas station

Updated on: July 3, 2025 / 9:17 PM MDT
/ CBS Colorado

In a Douglas County courtroom, loved ones of Lt. Col. Matthew Anderson delivered heartbreaking impact statements, asking the judge to deliver a harsh sentence for the man who killed their husband and father.

The U.S. Air Force colonel and father of four was killed by a drunk driver in 2024 while their family was stopped at a gas station.

In April, the jury found Paul Stephenson guilty of first-degree murder and driving under the influence, among other charges. On Thursday, a judge sentenced Stephenson to life in prison, plus 92 years.

In court, Anderson’s wife said she and her four children were traumatized by the violent and preventable death of their father. She spoke about how she will never get to grow old with Matt, how he won’t be there for his children’s weddings and graduations, and how her youngest won’t have any memories of him.

Other family members said Anderson was a family man, an Air Force pilot and former Division I athlete who will be deeply missed.

“He was our baby brother, but so much more,” said Jill Anderson, the military veteran’s sister.

Jill described her brother as a perfect child and someone everyone looked up to.

“Justice, that’s all we have. That’s all we have to give us some kind of closure,” Jill said.

For the first time, images released by the district attorney’s office showed the family the day Matt Anderson was killed — Aug. 4, 2024.

The family of six had enjoyed a day at the Douglas County Fair before stopping at at 7-Eleven.

While Matt gassed the car up and his wife went inside to get popsicles, prosecutors say Paul Stephenson veered across four lanes of traffic.

Video from 7-Eleven shows the horrifying moment his truck crashes into the Anderson family car, Matt’s wife witnessing the crash from outside their family’s vehicle.

The couple’s children were injured, and Matt Anderson was killed.

“When Matt was murdered by that guy, his four kids, they made it through it,” said Wayne Anderson, Matt’s father, who called their survival miraculous.

Tyler Yowell, a Castle Rock Police Department investigator, got choked up when speaking about the case in court, recalling one of the children saying, “My daddy died. He can’t play with me anymore.”

Prosecutors also showed the court body camera footage from officers on scene, depicting the chaos and pain of the family in the aftermath of the crash.

“You need to pray for your soul, Paul,” said Wayne Anderson, addressing the driver directly in court.

At the time of the crash, Stephenson’s blood alcohol content was 2.5 times the legal limit. He has a criminal history of domestic violence and prior DUIs.

Prosecutors say he drank a pint of Fireball whiskey and two Bud Lights, and was on his way to the liquor store when he struck the family car. They say he took no accountability and was more worried about damage to his truck when questioned by officers.

In court, Stephenson said it wasn’t a fair trial and, “I’m sorry we’re all here.”

The judge said she was “baffled” by his lack of empathy and accountability before she handed down a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 92 years.

Matt’s family hopes his loss — and Stephenson’s sentence — will deter people from drinking and driving.

“It’s a real relief to hear the judge, how she was affected by this whole thing,” Mike’s father said. “I just feel better that today is kind of done and can get on with it. It won’t be easy for any of us. There’s a lot of us involved.”

Olivia Young

Your Reporter Olivia Young specializes in coverage of Douglas County in Colorado. Share you story ideas with her by sending an email to yourreporter@cbs.com.

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Colorado

Colorado residents should prepare for Xcel power outages this week as fire danger surges, utility says

Published

2 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Colorado residents should prepare for Xcel power outages this week as fire danger surges, utility says

Xcel Energy is warning its customers along the Front Range to be prepared for possible power outages this week as the risk of wildfire surges due to hot and dry weather.

“Due to the elevated risk of wildfire, enhanced powerline safety settings are active across out Front Range service territory,” according to a social media post from the utility. The settings make the powerlines more sensitive and prompt a line to stop the flow of electricity if an object touches a line.

The highest risk for wildfire danger will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday, when strong gusty winds are forecasted, according to the National Weather Service.

Humidity could be as low as 10% and winds may top 25 mph, leading to critical and extremely critical fire weather between Thursday and Saturday, forecasters said.

Tens of thousands of customers have lost power in recent months from planned outages during fire danger and powerline damage from high winds.

In December, 86,040 Xcel customers lost power because of a mix of planned shutoffs and downed powerlines from high winds. The decision led some customers to criticize the utility, asking it to fine-tune its weather responses.

Some schools in northern Colorado schools preemptively canceled classes in January after Xcel announced a planned power shutoff for 9,000 customers in the area.

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Colorado

An Evening Against Edmonton | Colorado Avalanche

Published

14 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

An Evening Against Edmonton | Colorado Avalanche

Edmonton Oilers (31-25-8) @ Colorado Avalanche (43-10-9)

8 p.m. MT | Ball Arena | Watch: TNT, truTV, HBO Max | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)

After back-to-back shootout victories, the Avalanche concludes its two-game homestand on Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers. This game is an Avalanche Cup Classic, presented by KeyBank, which will honor the 2022 Avs team that won the Stanley Cup and defeated the Oilers in the Western Conference Final. Tuesday’s game is the second of three regular-season meetings between the teams, as the Avalanche won 9-1 in Edmonton on November 8th, and they’ll play in Alberta on April 13th.

Sunday Success

The Avalanche defeated the Minnesota Wild 3-2 in a shootout on Sunday at Ball Arena. Nathan MacKinnon and Nicolas Roy both scored for Colorado while Nazem Kadri posted an assist in his second Avs debut. In net for Colorado, Scott Wedgewood stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced. MacKinnon opened the scoring at 12:19 of the second period with his 43rd goal of the season via a right-circle one-timer set up by Kadri, who began the play with an interception below the offensive-zone goal line. Kirill Kaprizov tied the game for Minnesota with a power-play goal at 4:17 of the third period when his pass from the right circle deflected into the net. The Wild took a 2-1 lead at 7:01 of the third period when Nico Sturm scored a shorthanded breakaway. Colorado tied the game at 12:39 of the third period when Nicolas Roy scored his first goal as an Av and sixth of the season via a net-front deflection on Brett Kulak’s slap shot. In the shootout, Valeri Nichushkin scored for Colorado in the first round, Matt Boldy scored for Minnesota in the second round and MacKinnon tallied the winner in the fourth round.

Leading the Way

Nate the Great

MacKinnon leads the NHL in goals (43) while ranking second in points (104) and third in assists (61).

All Hail Cale

Among NHL defensemen, Cale Makar is tied for second in points (66) while ranking fourth in goals (19) and assists (47).

Marty Party

Martin Necas is tied for seventh in the NHL in points (76).

Series History

In 135 regular-season games against the Oilers, the Avalanche has a record of 74-49-6-6. The teams have met three times in the playoffs, with the Avs winning the 1997 Western Conference Semifinals in five games and the 2022 Western Conference Final in four contests.

Sunday in Sin City

The Oilers defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday. In the second period, Trent Frederic opened the scoring for Edmonton at 3:21 before Vegas’ Noah Hanifin tied the game at 13:09. The Oilers took a 3-1 third-period lead after goals from Vasily Podkolzin at 2:34 and Leon Draisaitl at 11:53. Jack Eichel cut the Golden Knights’ deficit to one with a shorthanded goal at 16:43 of the third period. Edmonton took a 4-2 lead when Kasperi Kapanen scored an empty-net goal at 18:03 of the third period.

Producing Offense Against the Oilers

MacKinnon has posted 39 points (13g/26a) in 29 regular-season games against the Oilers, in addition to five points (3g/2a) in four playoff contests.

Makar has registered 13 points (5g/8a) in 13 regular-season contests against Edmonton, in addition to nine points (2g/7a) in four playoff games.

Kadri has recorded 25 points (12g/13a) in 30 regular-season games against the Oilers, in addition to four points (1g/3a) in three playoff contests.

Edmonton’s Elite

Connor McDavid leads the Oilers in points (108), goals (35) and assists (73).

Draisaitl is second on the Oilers in points (92), goals (34) and assists (58).

Evan Bouchard is third on the Oilers in points (73) and assists (55) while ranking fourth in goals (18).

A Numbers Game

34

The Avalanche are 34-0-0 when leading after the second period this season.

85

Colorado leads the NHL with 85 second-period goals this campaign.

.806

The Avalanche’s .806 points percentage at home this season is the best in the NHL.

Quote That Left a Mark

“Emotional seeing the support I get here. It’s absolutely incredible. It makes me want to play harder for these fans and this team.”

— Nazem Kadri on the support he received from Avalanche fans at Sunday’s game

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Colorado

Colorado Rockies spring training game no. 17 thread: Kyle Freeland vs. Jedisxson Paez

Published

1 day ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Colorado Rockies spring training game no. 17 thread: Kyle Freeland vs. Jedisxson Paez

In his first spring training action of 2026, Kyle Freeland faced the daunting task of pitching against Team USA in an exhibition game on March 4. He gave up a solo homer to Aaron Judge in a two-hit, one-strikeout performance in one inning.

Today, Freeland and the Rockies (8-6-1) will take part in his first Cactus League action against the White Sox (10-7) at Camelback Ranch. The Rockies are 5-2 on the road this spring vs. 3-5-1, including the showdown vs. Team USA, at Salt River Fields.

Today’s game represents a rematch of a Feb. 23 showdown where the Rockies beat the White Sox 5-4. Chicago will send Jedisxson Paez to the mound to start the game. The 22-year-old RHP will be making his third spring appearance. He’s posted a 23.14 ERA in 2 1/3 innings over two starts with six earned runs, six hits, including one homer, three strikeouts and one walk. Former Rockie Drew Romo will be starting at catcher for the White Sox.

On Sunday, four pitchers combined to throw five scoreless innings and Kyle Karros and Tyler Freeman each had two-hit performances in the Rockies 4-4 tie with Cleveland. Even though it’s only spring training, the Rockies offense has been much improved thus far. The Rockies rank among all Major League teams this Spring in: on-base percentage (.381, T-1st), home runs (23, T-4th), average (.287, 3rd), HBP (14, T-2nd), slugging (.492, 3rd), OPS (.871, 3rd), runs scored (98, 5th), RBI (91, 6th) and total bases (254, 6th).

Earlier on Monday, the Rockies released a new motto for the 2026 campaign: “New era. At altitude. We are here for the climb.”

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