The man had been in prison after being convicted of a 2019 assault on three people, including a Denver police officer.
FRANKTOWN, Colo. — A horrific head-on crash in Douglas County – which began when a stolen Toyota went out of control – brings to at least 19 the number of deaths since September 2023 tied to parolees from the state’s prison system, 9NEWS Investigates has learned.
Monday’s collision along Colorado Highway 83 near Franktown came about an hour after a woman was carjacked at RTD’s Nine Mile Station in Aurora.
Walter Huling III is suspected of that car theft – and of causing the crash, 9NEWS Investigates has confirmed.
Huling was on parole from the Colorado Department of Corrections when the crash occurred.
From Sept. 14, 2023, when a man on parole was accused of stabbing and killing two people in northwest Denver, through the crash last week that killed Huling, another adult, and three children, Colorado parolees have been linked to at least 19 deaths.
“Whether we like it or not, individuals who have been convicted of crimes, particularly serious violent crimes, are far more likely to re-offend,” said Scott Robinson, a criminal defense attorney and 9NEWS legal analyst.
Consequently, he said it’s not a big surprise that people on parole have been accused of multiple homicides and several deaths caused by reckless driving.
“If we look back over the decades, it’s a reality of the prison system,” Robinson said.
According to Aurora police, a woman was getting into her car around 3:30 p.m. Monday at Nine Mile Station when a man grabbed her door and asked for a ride. She said no, and he yanked her out of the car, got in, and drove off.
Roughly 60 minutes later along Highway 83 near Franktown, that southbound Toyota Matrix went off the right side of the road, swerved back onto the highway, rolled over, and smashed head-on into a Ford Fusion.
The driver, Huling, was ejected and died at the scene.
Four of the six people in the Fusion also died: Alvin Corado, 35; MaKenlee Corado, 11; Toretto Corado, 8; and Jase Green, 12. Two other children sustained life-threatening injuries.
Court records obtained by 9NEWS Investigates show that Huling was arrested more than a dozen times in a little over a decade and twice spent time in prison. The most recent prison term came after he was convicted of assaulting a man and woman, and a responding Denver police officer, near 15th and Market Streets in Denver. A judge sentenced him to six years in prison followed by a state-mandated three years on parole.
It is not clear when Huling was released – or whether his parole officer was aware that he was convicted of violating a restraining order in 2024 in Boulder County.
Colorado deaths tied to parolees
People on parole from the Colorado Department of Corrections have been linked to at least 19 deaths since September 2023.
Sept. 14, 2023: Vinchenzo Moscoso faces two separate murder charges in the stabbing deaths of Fidel Sanchez-Banuelos, 51, on an RTD bus and Judith Corcoran, 83, near West 50th Avenue and Federal Boulevard. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. His next court appearance is set for Monday.
Sept. 28, 2023: A Colorado Springs jury convicted Justin Kula of running over and killing state parole officer Christine Guerin Sandoval, 50. She and two colleagues were attempting to arrest Kula on a warrant at the time. A judge sentenced Kula to 48 years in prison.
March 15, 2024: Corey Allen pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the shooting death of Theresa Burke, 24, at a condominium complex in the 14600 block of East Second Avenue in Aurora. A judge sentenced him to 25 years in prison.
March 30, 2024: A jury found August Romero guilty of leaving the scene of an accident involving death after being accused of hitting Robby Valanzuela near the intersection of Zuni and Alcott Streets in Westminster.
June 29, 2024: Ernest Cunningham faces charges of first-degree murder and possession of a weapon by a previous offender in the shooting death of Kelsey Roberts-Gariety, 23, near East Kentucky Avenue and South Dexter Street. Cunningham is scheduled to go on trial in December.
Aug. 17, 2024: Taleur Davis pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the shooting death of David Richardson, 28, in the alley between the 1200 blocks of Verbena and Wabash streets in Denver. He is scheduled to be sentenced Monday.
Oct. 22, 2024: Mitchell Nyberg pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs after running a red light and killing Morgan Hamrick. A judge sentenced him to 20 years in prison.
Nov. 3, 2024: Deangelo Luarks faces murder and assault charges after being accused of shooting and killing Zelian Shaw at a Circle K in the 1300 block of West Colfax Avenue in Denver. He is scheduled to go on trial in February.
June 29, 2025: Ricky Lee Roybal-Smith faces two counts of first-degree murder in Adams County after being accused of stabbing Jesse Shafer and Scott Davenport to death within an hour of each other near Peoria Street and East Colfax Avenue in Aurora. He is scheduled to be arraigned in that case Jan. 28. The following day, Roybal-Smith is charged with murdering his cellmate, Vincent Chacon, in the Denver County Jail. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance in that case on Thursday.
Oct. 14, 2025: Christopher Moore runs from police in a stolen minivan, then hits an oncoming vehicle head-on in Clear Creek Canyon. Moore and the other driver, Steven Ainsworth, 51, died.
Nov. 24, 2025: Walter Huling III is suspected of stealing a car at the RTD’s Nine Mile Station in Aurora, then causing a head-on crash on Colorado Highway 83 near Franktown. Huling died along with four people in the car he smashed into: Alvin Corado, 35; Jase Green, 12; MaKenlee Corado, 11; and Toretto Corado, 8. Two other children suffered critical injuries.