Inset: Vitalie Oprea (18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office). Background: The intersection where Oprea tried to run down two women he believed were lesbians (Google Maps).
A 47-year-old Colorado man has been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison for attempting to run over two women he presumed were lesbians. The man, Vitalie Oprea, was charged after he deliberately crashed his vehicle into the women’s pickup truck, allegedly motivated by seeing the pair share a kiss.
Oprea entered a guilty plea on Monday to a charge of attempted first-degree murder after deliberation, which included a violent crime enhancer. Following this plea, he was sentenced by the court to serve a two-decade term in a state correctional facility, as confirmed by the authorities.
In return for his guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss several additional charges against Oprea. These included another count of attempted murder, six counts of attempted first-degree assault, two counts of motor vehicle theft, and a charge of criminal mischief.
As detailed in a news release from the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, the incident unfolded on February 19, 2023, when Oprea took his parents’ car without their consent. While driving near the intersection of East Arapahoe Road and South Liverpool Street, approximately 20 miles southeast of Denver, he noticed two women standing on a street corner and assumed they were lesbians.
Eyewitnesses recounted that Oprea began by shouting and making lewd gestures toward the women. He then executed a U-turn on the eastbound side of Arapahoe Road, driving the vehicle westward, against traffic, in a threatening manner towards the women.
In a bid to evade Oprea’s aggressive approach, the women fled from the sidewalk to a grassy area near a nearby high school. However, their efforts to avoid danger were futile, as Oprea continued his pursuit.
“Witnesses reported Oprea drove over a curb, onto a sidewalk, and across the grassy area toward the women,” the release states. “The women were eventually able to get into a Ram pickup truck, which Oprea then rammed with his vehicle. Oprea exited his car, approached the passenger side of the truck, kicked the vehicle, opened the door, and attempted to pull one of the women out.”
After ramming the women’s pickup truck, Oprea fled the area on foot. He was located and taken into custody later that day.
The women told investigators they did not know their attacker, but feared for their lives and believed he was “attempting to run them over and kill them.”
The victims’ belief was buttressed by Oprea, who admitted to the arresting officers that he was trying to kill the victims.
“I drove at the women because I saw them kissing and they were lesbians and I wanted to kill them,” he said, according to the news release.
Deputy District Attorney Lauren Agee released the following statement:
“These women did nothing to provoke this violence,” she said. “They were targeted, chased, and left fearing for their lives. Our office takes hate-motivated violence extremely seriously, and attacks rooted in hate will be met with accountability and significant consequences.”
