Brother of NBA player charged 10 days after deadly DUI crash, Colorado officials say

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A university basketball player and brother of an NBA player has been charged in relation to a deadly DUI car crash, Colorado prosecutors said.

Coban Porter, a University of Denver basketball player and the brother of Denver Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr., was charged with DUI, vehicular homicide, reckless driving and vehicular assault, according to a Feb. 1 news release from the Denver District Attorney’s Office.

“This is a tragic and heartbreaking situation, and our deepest sympathies are with those involved in the crash, their families, and friends,” a University of Denver spokesperson said in an email to McClatchy News, adding that “as school policy and federal law, we cannot discuss individual student matters.”

A lawyer for Porter was also not immediately available.

The crash happened just before 2 a.m. Jan. 22 near campus, prosecutors said.

Porter, 21, was driving 50 mph when he ran a red light and crashed into another driver, according to a probable cause statement from the Denver Police Department.

Katharina Rothman, 42, was pronounced dead on scene, according to prosecutors. A passenger in the car was seriously injured.

“Rothman’s death was from blunt force injuries,” prosecutors said.

While speaking to police, Porter had “bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred and mumbling speech, and the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath,” according to the probable cause statement.

Rothman, who leaves behind a 4-year-old son, was driving for Uber the night of the crash, Denver7 News reported.

“Oh, my goodness, my daughter was the sweetest thing,” Rothman’s mother, Connie Johnson, told the news outlet. “She would light up a room whenever she would go into a crowd, or an event with friends. Her laugh — we’ll never forget her laugh.”

Porter was released from jail after posting $20,000 bond, The Denver Post reported, and is expected to appear in court Feb. 6, according to prosecutors.

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