This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Utah man pleaded guilty to reduced criminal charges Wednesday, admitting that he killed a pedestrian after running him over in a Clearfield crosswalk.
Jose Antonio Cortez Orozco, 38, pleaded guilty to second-degree felony manslaughter for Kelly Allred's May 20, 2014 death. He also pleaded guilty to third-degree felony failure to stop for police and faces a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on Sept. 30 by Judge David Hamilton in Farmington's 2nd District Court.
Additional charges of leaving the scene of a fatal accident and violation of a protective order were dismissed as part of a plea deal.
Two months ago, Orozco rejected the same plea offer and said he'd like to go to trial. After that hearing, Allred's mother, Darla Allred, said the case has "gone on way too long."
Darla Allred said her family — including her son's three children — still think about and miss Kelly Allred a year after his death.
"I try to keep myself busy at work so I don't have to think too much about it," she said. "But it's empty without him."
Originally, Orozco faced a second-degree felony automobile homicide charge, accused of driving drunk and having a blood-alcohol level of 0.15, nearly twice the legal driving limit of 0.08.
But his defense attorney, Todd Utzinger, has said that his client's blood-alcohol level was actually only 0.06. The charge was amended to manslaughter in July.
Police have said Orozco went to the Freeport Center in Clearfield at about 10 p.m. on May 20 with flowers for his estranged wife, despite a protective order forbidding contact with her.
Police were notified of the violation and later spotted Orozco driving in the area. A probable cause statement says officers tried to pull Orozco over, but he refused to stop. A brief high-speed chase ensued, but the pursuit was soon terminated for public safety reasons.
Orozco was believed to be traveling at 60 mph or more when, about 10 minutes later, he allegedly struck Kelly Allred in the intersection of 700 South (Highway 193) and State Street (Highway 26).
Darla Allred has said that just before the accident her son had finished working and had walked to a nearby Maverik convenience store to buy a few hot dogs and a bag of Doritos.
The mother said her son was walking back from the convenience store when he was struck. Kelly Allred died after about four hours later at a hospital, the mother said.
Orozco was later arrested at his North Salt Lake home. He remains in the Davis County Jail under a federal immigration hold order, as well as $50,000 bail.
Twitter: @jm_miller