Coban Porter, brother of Nuggets' Michael Porter Jr., sentenced in fatal DUI crash
Former University of Denver basketball player Coban Porter, the younger brother of Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr., has been sentenced in a fatal DUI crash in Colorado last year.
On Friday, Denver District Court Judge Ericka Englert sentenced Porter to six years in prison for vehicular homicide for the death of 42-year-old Katharina Rothman, in addition to two years for vehicular assault for injuring her passenger. Porter, who pleaded guilty to both charges in February, will serve both sentences concurrently.
Police said Porter was driving under the influence near the University of Denver on Jan. 22, 2023, while he was a member of the Pioneers men's basketball team. Porter was speeding and ran a red light before colliding with Rothman, who was driving for Uber at the time. Rothman was pronounced dead at the scene and her passenger, a 47 year-old man, was seriously injured in the crash.
Porter's blood-alcohol level was .19, more than twice the legal limit of .08, prosecutors said on Friday, according to The Denver Post.
COBAN PORTER: University of Denver guard charged with vehicular homicide in two-car crash
Porter addressed the court before his sentencing, saying, "All I can really say is that I’m sorry."
“I know that I’m never going to be able to right that wrong. ... I never thought I’d be standing here. I thought I was invincible. It wasn’t the first time I chose to drink and drive. … I’m so sorry," he said to the courtroom Friday, according to the Post. “I chose to drive there, I chose to drink and I chose to try to drive home. I didn’t mean to hurt her. I hope you know that. I know that doesn’t change anything.”
Michael Porter Jr., also testified in the courtroom to his brother's character. He missed practice on Friday to attend his brother's sentencing as the defending champion Nuggets prepare for their first-round NBA playoff matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I truly don’t think I’d be in the position I am today as a professional basketball player without a brother like Coban pushing me every day,” Michael Porter Jr. said. “He would get up earlier than me, work out harder than me. I know it’s not often that a big brother looks up to a younger brother, but that is how it was for me.”
Michael Porter Jr. added: "My second thought was, 'Man, I hope, I hope not Coban. Of anyone in my family, there's no way Coban is going through this.' Like I said, he's the one out of all of us, he's the one who doesn't deserve to do that, and even though he made choices, you know, there are a lot of people in life who make bad choices, and it doesn't end up the way it did for Coban. I remember during the whole process, I was just thinking, 'Man, I wish it was me.' "
Denver District Attorney Beth McCann said Rothman's death "was a terrible tragedy."
“She was a loving and devoted mother, daughter, sister and friend who should still be with us today,” McCann said. “We appreciate that Mr. Porter took accountability for his behavior from the beginning and expressed deep sorrow for his actions. However, given the severity of Mr. Porter’s crimes, the prison sentence he received is appropriate. I commend the Denver Police Department officers and the members of my office for the way they handled this case, which I hope will serve as a cautionary tale of the disasters that often result when people drink and drive.”
Porter's sentencing comes less than two days after Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter, the brother of Coban and Michael Porter Jr., received a lifetime ban from the NBA after an investigation found he was "disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and betting on NBA games."