Parents of Magnus White, Boulder cyclist killed by driver, disappointed by 4-year sentence
A woman who struck and killed Magnus White with her car in 2023 while he was riding his bike on the Diagonal Highway has been sentenced to four years in prison.

A woman who struck and killed Magnus White with her car in 2023 while he was riding his bike on the Diagonal Highway has been sentenced to four years in prison.
In a packed courtroom at the Boulder County Justice Center, District Judge Dea Lindsey on Friday handed down the sentence for Yeva Smilianska, 24, who was found guilty in April of reckless vehicular homicide in the death of the 17-year-old from Boulder.
In addition to the four years in prison, Smilianska was sentenced to three years of mandatory probation.
During the sentencing hearing, the prosecution requested the maximum sentence of six years, which was recommended by the probation officer in the presentence investigation. Her defense attorney asked for a community-based sentence, for which she had been approved.
Magnus’s parents, Jill and Michael White, sat in the front row during the hearing. Jill White swayed back and forth after hearing that the woman who killed her son did not receive the maximum sentence.
Later, during a press conference outside, Michael White said they wished Smilianska received a six-year prison sentence, but considered themselves lucky because many vehicular homicide defendants aren’t sentenced to prison.
“We’re happy accountability will be served, but not necessarily the sentence,” Michael White said.
Earlier in the hearing, Magnus’s parents gave emotional victim impact statements, which were accompanied by videos and photos of their son throughout his life. Lindsey, the judge, later said she appreciated being able to see who Magnus was through the presentation.
Lindsey wiped away tears before handing down the sentence and said she got emotional while listening to the Whites.
“I don’t think it’s possible to express the sorrow this court feels for the family,” Lindsey said.
The Whites said they have both struggled with depression since their son’s death, with Jill White stating that she wakes up every day hoping it will be the day she dies.
“We lost our son and more than that, we lost ourselves,” Michael White said during the hearing.
He continued, “We are shadows of who we used to be.”
Jill White said being Magnus White’s mother was her greatest joy and most sacred calling. She said her son will miss out on a gold medal, a college degree, a first job, marriage and a future family.
“She killed him at 17,” Jill White said. “She didn’t just kill Magnus that day, she killed the rhythm of our family, the spark in our home.”
White said her son, who was cremated, now sits in a box on her credenza, weighing the same amount that he did when he was born.
“I watched Magnus take his first breath and I watched him take his last,” Jill White said before describing how she had to look the doctor in the eye and give a gentle nod to say she could let him die.
Smilianska told the court before she was sentenced that having killed Magnus makes her feel horrible.
“I understand no matter what I do now and what I do in the future, it will in no way correct what I have done,” Smilianska said through an interpreter. “It will never return Magnus.”
Smilianska showed little reaction when the sentence was announced and calmly kissed her mother on the cheek and gave her her watch and belongings before being handcuffed and walked out of the courtroom.
Smilianska’s mother and two friends also spoke to the court during the sentencing hearing.
Smilianska’s friend said the defendant’s friends and family feel the White family’s pain.
“Not only did she ruin Magnus’ family, she ruined her own family,” the defendant’s close friend, Sofia Drobinskaya, said while appearing via a live stream. She explained that Smilianska is an only daughter and could face deportation after she serves her sentence.
Drobinskaya said Smilianska was bullied as a child, assaulted, never met her father, and was living in Kyiv when the ongoing Ukrainian war broke out. While living there, she volunteered on a rescue team, her mother said.
Smilianska’s family and friends spoke extensively about how she always had a calm demeanor and did not wear her emotions on her sleeve. Just because she didn’t cry or scream or seem visibly upset, it didn’t mean she wasn’t remorseful, they said.
Drobinskaya said she was the one who told Smilianska that Magnus had died. Smilianska went silent and pale before saying, “Well, I’ll have to kill myself,” she said.
But Dougherty already had told the court that Smilianska has not shown any care or remorse, either immediately after the crash or throughout the criminal proceedings.
“Even with state prison looming in front of her, she fails to present any real remorse,” Dougherty said, telling the judge not to believe any remorse shown Friday.
Dougherty said this case was exceptional among the many vehicular homicide cases he has prosecuted because Smilianska posed for pictures and selfies that were posted on social media during the trial.
“She’s taking selfies in the conference room outside! I’ve never seen that in my life! Are you kidding me? That is not accepting responsibility,” Dougherty exclaimed. “I’ve never seen this in 27 years and I hope I never see it again.”
Dougherty also stated that Smilianska had lied throughout the proceedings, including about her refugee status.
Smilianska’s refugee status was debated during the trial, making it unclear if she fled Ukraine because of the war with Russia or whether she already lived in the United States, as she was a green card holder. On Friday, defense attorney Ben Hartford said her family lived in the U.S. and she visited a couple of times, but she was living in Kyiv when the war broke out.
Hartford also said Smilianska had not made any posts on her own social media during the trial. He said she is not a U.S. citizen and reiterated that she is a green card holder.
Dougherty also clarified that the Boulder County District Court does not determine whether she will be deported after serving her four-year prison sentence in Colorado.
Hartford listed a handful of vehicular homicide cases in Boulder where the defendant received a non-punitive sentence, arguing that the judge should follow precedent. Hartford also highlighted Smilianska’s lack of criminal history and her compliance during the proceedings.
Magnus was riding his bike southbound on Colo. 119, just south of the 63rd Street intersection at 12:33 p.m. July 29, 2023, when he was hit by Smilianska, who was driving a Toyota Matrix that had crossed from the right-hand lane into the shoulder, according to Colorado State Patrol Trooper Gabriel Moltrer.
He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Smilianska later admitted during the trial that she had passed out while driving.
Smilianska remained out of custody after the guilty verdict by posting a $100,000 personal recognizance bond. She received two days of credit for time served already.