ARVADA, Colo. (KDVR) — A man who was not charged in a fatal hit-and-run crash that killed a bus driver in Jefferson County has been separately arrested and faces animal cruelty charges, giving hope to a family who believes new evidence can help them seek justice.
Following the death of Jefferson County school bus driver David Burlig, FOX31’s Nicole Fierro spoke exclusively to Burlig’s wife, Debbie, three months after learning charges would not be filed in her husband’s death.
Debbie said she has now learned shocking new developments.
“It was Thursday morning, and I got a call and I looked at my phone and it said Arvada,” Debbie said. “I was like, what’s going on here?”
Debbie said she recently received a phone call from the detective investigating her husband’s death about new evidence in the case. New evidence surrounded the man accused of beating and killing Burlig and then leaving the scene after an altercation in the road with the school bus driver, according to the Arvada Police Department.
“He was bragging about getting away with murder, that he killed someone and got away with it,” Debbie told FOX31. “And that hurt me more than anything because my husband was 6’5” and drove a small car. And how can you say you hit the curb when you know you hit someone that tall and then left the crime scene? This is what we were hoping for. This is what we wanted to see happen. But we didn’t think we would see that in our lifetime.”
Debbie certainly never imagined receiving the next call about a week later.
“From the police lawyer who told me there was a story about to come out and they didn’t want me to be shocked,” Debbie said. “So I asked what that was about, and they said it had to do with this person and animal cruelty.”
FOX31 reported the arrest of Tyler Wilbanks, 29, after Arvada police investigated several pet injuries and deaths in recent years. Police said several dogs and cats died or sustained several serious injuries.
The alleged incidents include the amputation of cats’ legs, a puppy arriving at vets in a comatose state with broken vertebrae, and the death of other puppies.
The alleged incidents spanned from September 2018, long before Burlig’s death, to July of this year, nearly a year after Burlig’s death.
“It’s just a mistake,” Debbie said. “The story about the animals was disturbing and sick, but the way I look at it now, and I’ll be completely honest with you, this is the makings of a serial killer. That’s how I feel. I hate what he did, but I’m glad he was caught because I don’t want anyone else to go through what I went through. This was absolutely terrible.”
No official charges have been brought yet in the hit-and-run case. Police ask anyone with information or evidence that could help the Brlejs family seek justice to call 720-898-7171.