JEFFERSON COUNTY — Every seat was taken inside a Jefferson County courtroom on Wednesday afternoon, as loved ones of a cyclist hit and killed in Morrison last year attended the sentencing hearing for the man who was behind the wheel.
According to the crash report from Sept. 24, 2025, 60-year-old Gerald Missel was traveling eastbound on his bicycle along West Belleview Avenue, while 74-year-old Kenneth Black was heading in the opposite direction on the same road. Black turned left onto Colorow Drive and collided with Gerald Missel, who was taken to the hospital.
“It was devastating. I'll never forget the phone call," said Jennifer Missel, Gerald Missel's wife.
Gerald Missel moved to Colorado for work around six years ago, while Jennifer Missel stayed in Michigan where they raised their family. A father to four children, Gerald Missel was a veteran, transplant survivor, and youth group leader at their church.
In addition, he was an avid cyclist.
“Because of him, I think just about every one of our family members has become a cyclist over the last several years," Jennifer Missel said with a smile. "He was joyful. He loved sharing stories. He was a great storyteller. Extremely passionate about cycling — something that he would talk probably on a daily basis — and if you encourage that conversation, it would probably be endless.”
Jennifer Missel spent six days by her husband's side while he was in the hospital after the crash, before he was declared brain-dead. Missel's family asked the judge to sentence Black to six days in jail, after he pleaded guilty to reckless driving and failure to yield to the right of way.
"Those six days represented the jail that we were in, in the ICU. The uncertainty, not being able to leave, knowing he would never leave," said Jennifer Missel. "We were asking for this gentleman to feel what we felt.”
Black faced up to 90 days in jail as a result of the charges in the plea deal, as well as a fine.
Ultimately, Judge Corinne Magid sentenced Black to 12 months of supervised probation and 200 hours of community service. His license was suspended for a year, and he must pay a $150 fine.
If Black violates any terms of his probation, he will be sentenced to 90 days in jail.
The probationary sentence was handed down after emotional victim impact statements from a number of individuals who spoke about how Gerald Missel changed their lives.
Judge Magid said she was struck by the amount of love in the courtroom, and at the same time, she felt the deep loss in the room.
One of the people who attended the hearing was Craig Hudema, a lifelong friend of Gerald Missel's who flew into Colorado from Nevada to be there.
"I wanted to be here, to kind of see the end of it, and be with his family," Hudema said.
Before heading to the courthouse, Hudema visited the intersection where the crash happened for the first time.
"I wanted to see for myself," said Hudema. "I thought I'd be more angry, but I think I'm just kind of confused, and want to see some good come of this in a legal sense.”
Black's defense team argued that he has no history of speeding, distracted driving, or driving while impaired. The attorney continued to say her client scored the lowest level of supervision inventory score she has ever seen in her 20 years of practicing criminal defense.
According to the defense attorney, Black told investigators he believed the crash happened because of the sun shining into his eyes.
On the advice of his counsel, Black did not address the courtroom.
When explaining her decision to the courtroom, the judge referenced letters she was sent from friends and family of Gerald Missel.
One of those letters said "his energy and enthusiasm were the tides that made the boats rise," while another called him the male equivalent of Mary Poppins.
Judge Magid acknowledged that closure is rarely found inside of a courtroom, saying she knows the grief from this crash will continue long after the criminal case concludes.
“I think everyone in this courtroom wishes this didn’t happen," Magid said.
Jennifer Missel believes the crash that killed her husband was preventable.
"I don't know if there was any punishment that we would have been satisfied with, but I think what we need to do as a community is to make people aware that there are consequences, that if you're going to drive recklessly, that there's a consequence behind that, and not just $150 fine," Jennifer Missel said. “I’m thankful that the criminal case is behind us, but I don't believe there's any closure. I don't think there will ever be closure. We just move forward in a different way.”
After Black's sentencing hearing, a Colorado-based nonprofit organization called We Ride 4 presented The White Line, which fights for vulnerable road users across the country, with a $5,000 check. The money was raised in honor of Gerald Missel, who was a sponsor and member of We Ride 4, which strives to support causes for children through cycling.
