An El Paso County courtroom was filled with supporters as formal charges were announced Friday against a tearful teen accused in a fatal crash.

Marshal Douglas Gregory of Parker kept his head low and cried each time the names of his friends were spoken as juvenile court Magistrate Denise Peacock announced that the 17-year-old driver in the crash that killed two Monument teens and injured a third would be tried as a minor and released into his parents’ custody.

Gregory was formally charged with vehicular homicide and vehicular assault in the single-vehicle crash that killed 17-year-old Beau Begier and 18-year-old Ryan Pappas on Monday in Black Forest.

Jack Mitchell Clark, 17, was seriously injured in the crash and remained in Penrose Hospital on Friday, listed in fair condition.

The courtroom in Division Y was packed, with about 
50 Palmer Ridge High School students in support of their friend and former classmate. Many in the audience held hands or held each other for comfort, and several of them cried.

They watched attentively as Gregory, a former Palmer Ridge student clad in a bright forest-green uniform and handcuffs, bowed his head and sobbed repeatedly during the arraignment.

“This is a lesson for everyone. Sadly, Marshal had to learn the hard way, and he doesn’t deserve this,” said Brandon Lee, one of Gregory’s best friends. “We support him, and we all stand behind him. No one is pointing blame because this is a tragedy for everybody.”

According to Colorado State Patrol investigators, Gregory was under the influence of alcohol when he drove a 2009 Mini Cooper about 80 mph in a 40 mph zone through a stop sign at Hodgen and Roller Coaster roads early Monday.

The vehicle went airborne three times before it crashed through a fence and onto a row of trees at the bottom of an embankment, according to a State Patrol report.

All four teens were suspected of drinking alcohol before the crash, according to the State Patrol’s traffic report, but investigators did not say who supplied the alcohol or where the teens consumed it, citing an open investigation.

Prosecutor Katherine Cherry requested that Gregory remain detained and argued that his emotional and mental health were a concern, but defense attorney V. Iyer reassured the court that his client would receive the proper mental evaluation and counseling if he were allowed to return home.

Magistrate Peacock agreed to release Gregory to his parents’ custody but ordered him to wear a zero-tolerance tracking device that will be provided through Parker police.

He is to remain under adult supervision at all times and is prohibited from driving a vehicle or be in a car without an adult.

Since 2012, Colorado House Bill 12-1271 raised the minimum age to 16 for direct filing of adult charges on juvenile offenders and limited the offenses for which a minor can be direct filed to class 1 or class 2 felonies, such as murder or violent sex crimes.

“This is the right thing to do in light of such a horrific tragedy,” Iyer said. “The law has been applied correctly, and now he can get the treatment and services he needs. There’s no way to change the past, but Marshal has the support of his family and his community.”

Groups of teens shuffled out of the courtroom, quietly celebrating their friend’s release but wary of the difficult journey still ahead for him and a community overcome with grief.

“We don’t even know what’s next. We just want to get through the funerals for Ryan and Beau this weekend,” Ian Hjelmstad said.

Gregory will appear at the El Paso County courthouse Oct. 6 
for a pretrial conference.

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