'Magnus’ death was not an accident - it was a crime' - driver who killed teen cyclist Magnus White found guilty of vehicular homicide

Nearly two years after 17-year-old elite cyclist Magnus White was struck and killed during a training ride near his Boulder, Colorado, home, the driver involved, 24-year-old Yeva Smilianska, was found guilty of vehicular homicide following a five-day trial that concluded on April 4, 2025.

When Smilianska was first formally charged in May 2024, she pleaded not guilty, setting the stage for the trial that began on March 31, 2025, at the Boulder County Courthouse.

On Friday at 10 p.m. MST, after seven hours of deliberation, the jury unanimously returned a verdict finding Smilianska guilty of reckless driving and vehicular homicide. She will be sentenced in June.

“This conviction is a small step forward for accountability,” said White’s mother, Jill. “This verdict acknowledges what we have known all along: Magnus’ death was not an accident - it was a crime.”

The charges

The five-day trial was held not to determine whether Yeva Smilianska had indeed killed the 17-year-old Team USA cyclist Magnus White — both the prosecution and defense acknowledged that she did — but on whether her driving was legally considered “careless” or “reckless." In Colorado, careless driving resulting in death is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail, while reckless driving resulting in death is a felony carrying a prison sentence of two to six years plus possible fines.

The prosecution argued that Smilianska made a conscious and dangerous decision to drive despite being impaired by fatigue, alcohol and medication.

“This is a case where the defendant made a choice — a choice to get behind the wheel when she knew she was tired, when she knew she was falling asleep — and she ignored a substantial risk when she made that choice — she drove straight into Magnus when she hit him,” the prosecutor told the jury.

The witnesses

The prosecution called on four drivers who had witnessed the incident in July 2023 to take the stand.

Multiple witnesses said they saw her car veer erratically toward the shoulder before it struck Magnus. One, Preet Cooper, recalled, “I saw the boy—he was up in the air. It was a couple of feet, actually. Maybe seven feet up in the air.” According to Magnus’ parents, the impact launched their son 30 feet.

Testimony also focused on Smilianska’s behaviour before and after the crash.

Witness Rachel Blaydes said Smilianska did not brake or appear to recognize that she had hit a cyclist. “It was an incredibly hard situation, and I didn’t feel like [Smilianska’s] response was reflective of the situation," Blaydes said, further testifying that Smilianska initially asked to leave the scene, despite her visibly broken windshield.

“[T]he way [Smilianska] was standing there, it didn’t feel right,” another witness added. “It just felt very emotionless, like nothing had happened [to] her.”

The defense countered by cautioning against interpreting Smilianska’s reaction through the lens of expected social behaviour, suggesting that cultural and individual differences in emotional expression should be considered.

Social behaviour aside, there was also the question of impairment. Smilianska had admitted to a police officer at the scene that she had consumed alcohol the night before and into the early morning hours, after finishing a shift at a bar. She also took medication for bipolar disorder that evening.

A friend took to the stand and testified about Smilianska's condition, stating that she had not appeared outwardly intoxicated. However, around noon on the day of the incident, Smilianska had texted that same writing, “I’m falling asleep so I’m going home.” Twenty minutes later, she struck Magnus.

When Smilianska took the stand in her own defense and was asked whether it was difficult for her to accept that she had taken a life. “I can’t even describe how hard,” she said.

A step toward accountability

Late in the evening on Friday, April 4, the jury unanimously found Smilianska guilty of reckless driving and vehicular homicide. Smilianska, who has been released on bond, now awaits sentencing, scheduled for June 13, 2025.

Jill called the decision “a small step forward for accountability,” but added, “whatever sentence [Smilianska] receives is not enough.”

“She lied about how much she drank. She lied about when she drank. She lied about the time she took her prescription drugs. She lied to the police. She lied to investigators,” Magnus' father, Michael White, added. “She has shown no remorse and taken no responsibility — not until she had to get on the stand in court, 615 days after she killed Magnus.”

The White family has filed a civil suit against Smilianska, set to begin once the criminal trial concludes. Additionally, in their post-verdict statement, they expressed disappointment with how the initial investigation of the crash was handled, calling it “a systemic failure by those whose job it is to protect the public.”

“Three agencies responded to the crash that day…protocols were not followed…[Smilianska] admitted she had been drinking…and yet, not a single officer requested a sobriety test or blood draw. They even let [Smilianska] remove items from the scene. Critical evidence was lost forever,” Michael explained.

A spokesperson for The White Line Foundation, established by the family in the wake of Magnus’ death, said that had proper protocols been followed, justice might have been served more effectively. “If the investigation had been done right, and a drug test had been administered, this would have been a [much longer] sentence and a much shorter investigation,” the spokesperson said.

Moving forward, the White family remains committed to advocating for stronger protections for cyclists and pedestrians through The White Line Foundation and has called on others to join their cause.