Repeat DUI offender accused of fatal hit-and-run in Taylorsville, witness follows him after crash

TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (ABC4) — Police have identified 65-year-old Mauricio Rojo as the victim who was fatally hit by the driver of a Chevy Avalanche in Taylorsville, while riding on his motorcycle at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday night.

The driver suspected of killing Rojo drove off following the collision near 5400 South and Warrior Way, just blocks away from Taylorsville High School, according to Taylorsville Police.

Gabriel Nunez, an 18-year-old who witnessed the immediate aftermath of the crash, noticed the suspect driving away and decided to follow him while calling 9-1-1.

“We were like pretty far from them at a pace that they wouldn’t notice us,” Nunez told ABC4 News Monday. “He was like maybe a … half a mile ahead and I was on the line with the operator and then they were just telling me, you know, just to be safe and just keep my safety in mind.”

Nunez spotted the suspect, who police identified as 48-year-old Dennis Kilgore, parked in a nearby neighborhood.

“He was just there with some other guy in a car that picked him up,” Nunez said.

Taylorsville Police confirmed with ABC4 that Kilgore requested a rideshare service to the area, which picked him up.

“He had gotten into that Mazda and they took off,” Nunez said.

Nunez provided the address to police, which helped them locate Kilgore.

Shortly after, police arrested Kilgore, who was booked into Salt Lake County Jail on several charges including automobile homicide, a second-degree felony.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Kilgore told police that he took three shots of vodka around noon Sunday, but officers say his speech was slurred and they could smell alcohol on him.

Documents show Kilgore has four prior arrests for DUI dating back to 2021 and that he is a restricted driver that requires an ignition interlock device in his vehicle, which is essentially a breathalyzer that prevents a car from starting if the driver blows above a certain limit.

Officers were unable to find that device in the vehicle Kilgore was driving.

He is being held without bail while he awaits trial.