Denver judge upholds murder charge against Uber driver
The firstdegree murder case against an Uber driver accused of fatally shooting his 45yearold passenger was bound over to Denver District Court on Friday.
Judge Shelley Gilman said prosecutors met their burden of proof against 29yearold Uber driver Michael Hancock because of the number of shots he allegedly fired at Hyun Kim and where the victim was shot. Hancock allegedly fired 10 shots at Kim.
Prosecutor Philip Reinert argued that six bullet wounds showed that Kim was shot in the back as he was looking away from Hancock lying in the passenger seat with his back to the driver.
The date of Hancock’s arraignment in Denver District Court will be set at a later hearing before Gil man. Hancock will remain in jail without bond.
The shooting happened at 2:45 a.m. on June 1 on southbound Interstate 25 near University Avenue under mysterious circumstances that were not completely explained during the hearing.
Homicide Detective Eric Bueno testified that Hancock picked up Kim at 2642 S. Parker Road and took him to his destination at 2222 S. Havana St.
But when they arrived at Kim’s location, Hancock drove away from the spot and continued to drive around for 71 miles before they ended up on south bound I25. It’s unclear where they had gone, or why, based on testimony at the hearing.
Reinert said only two people knew why and one of them is dead.
Evidence was presented at the hearing Friday afternoon that, at some point, Kim started grabbing Hancock and punched him in the face.
Hancock’s silver Nissan Sentra slammed into the concrete median.
Ryan Meston, a heating and air conditioning worker, testified that he was driving on the southbound ramp to go onto I25 when he saw a car coming towards him.
“It crossed my path. It was obviously not being steered. I stopped because I really didn’t have a choice,” Meston said.
Meston got out of his car as a man ran up behind him. The man had a terrified look on his face, he said.
“He was freaked out,” Meston said. “His eyes were wide.”
The man, later identified as Hancock, was yelling that he shot a man and told Meston to call 911.
Hancock added that the man had attacked him. Meston said Hancock went over to the driver’s side of the car and then circled around to the passenger door. Meston could see blood seeping out of the door. When Hancock opened the door, a man’s head slumped partially out of the car.
Meston testified that he called 911 on his cellular phone and told the dispatcher what Hancock had told him. The dispatcher asked to speak with Hancock.
Hancock told the dispatcher that the man was reaching for a knife and he shot him, Bueno testified. Hancock asked the dispatcher repeatedly to get an ambulance for the man, Bueno said.
Only Hancock’s fingerprint’s were found on the knife, Bueno testified.
All 10 shell casings from Hancock’s .40caliber pistol were found on the highway outside the car, indicating that Hancock fired from outside the car at Kim, homicide Detective Aaron Lopez testified.
If Hancock had been inside the car, the gun would have ejected the bullets to the right and they would likely have remained in the car, he said.
Luke Levulis, Hancock’s attorney, argued that prosecutors never proved that Hancock intended to kill Kim.
“There is no evidence he acted with deliberation and with intent to kill Kim,” Levulis said.
Levulis said if the judge determines there is probable cause, he should be bound over for nothing more than seconddegree murder.
Hancock faces firstdegree murder after deliberation.The charge was directfiled in Denver District Court in June and Hancock has been held in Denver County Jail without bond ever since.
Hancock’s family says he only shot the man because the passenger was beating him on the head. Hancock’s sister, Kilisha Beasley of Aurora, said he fired his gun in selfdefense.
Uber’s company policy, which bars drivers and riders from carrying firearms, applies in Colorado, Uber officials have previously said.