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 man in Colorado will spend up to two decades behind bars for trying to run down two women he believed were lesbians before intentionally ramming their pickup truck with his vehicle, telling police it was because he "saw them kissing."
Vitalie Oprea on Monday pleaded guilty to one count of attempted first-degree murder after deliberation with a violent crime enhancer in connection with the attack and was subsequently ordered to serve 20 years in a state correctional facility, authorities announced.
In exchange for Oprea's guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to drop a slew of additional charges against him, including an additional count of attempted murder, six counts of attempted first-degree assault, two counts of motor vehicle theft, and one count of criminal mischief.
According to a news release from the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office, the incident began with Oprea taking his parents' car without permission on Feb. 19, 2023. While driving, Oprea was near the intersection of East Arapahoe Road and South Liverpool Street, which is about 20 miles southeast of Denver, when he spotted "two women standing on a street corner whom he believed were lesbians."
Witnesses said Oprea first began yelling at the women and making "obscene gestures" at them. He then made a U-turn on the eastbound side of Arapahoe Road and drove the vehicle west — against traffic — in the direction of the two women.
Fearing for their safety, the victims ran from the sidewalk onto a grassy area near a local high school. But that did not stop Oprea.
"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."
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