Driver sentenced to prison after 2022 Weld County crash that killed Wyoming family

DENVER — A truck driver convicted of 10 counts related to a Weld County crash that killed a Wyoming family was sentenced to prison Friday afternoon.

In late March, a jury convicted Jesus Puebla on several charges related to the 2022 crash, including five counts of vehicular homicide (reckless driving), assault (reckless), and reckless driving.

On Friday afternoon, a judge sentenced Puebla to 11 years in the Department of Corrections — two for each of five vehicular homicide charges and one for the vehicular assault charge.

Watch our coverage of his sentencing in March below.

Truck driver convicted in crash that killed Wyoming family of 5 on I-25 in Weld County

Five people, all in a 2015 Ford Edge, died in the crash, which occurred around 1:30 p.m. on June 13, 2022 in the northbound lanes of Interstate 25 near mile marker 243. A driver Another car was also slightly injured. Puebla was not injured. A total of four vehicles were involved in the accident.

Based on the subsequent investigation, the Colorado State Patrol said the driver of a box truck, later identified as Puebla, crashed into the back of the Ford Edge after the SUV driver slowed down about 6 mph for traffic. The collision triggered a series of other accidents. Puebla, who was 26 at the time, was going about 76 mph when he struck the rear of the Ford. He stayed there.

The five people in the Ford Edge were identified as family members from Gillette, Wyoming: Aaron Godinez, 20 (driver), Halie Everts, 20, Christina Godinez, 47, Emiliano, 51. Godinez and Tessleigh Godinez, 3 months.

In December 2022, Puebla was officially charged with vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, careless driving, careless driving, driving without a commercial driver's license, and commercial vehicle safety violations. He was convicted in March on 10 counts.

At Friday's sentencing hearing, several Godinez and Everts family members explained that no sentence would seem appropriate.

“My mom and dad were the best parents a child could ask for,” Abigail Godinez said. “They were brilliant. They were just incredible.

She said her brother, Aaron Godinez, was her best friend and remembered going to school with him every day.

Haden Everts, Halie Everts' younger brother, described every day since the accident as “horrifying.” His older sister was the one person he could be most vulnerable with, he told the court.

Like many other family members who spoke out, he asked the court for justice and said Puebla should never have the opportunity to cause another tragedy.

Halie Everts' parents also addressed the court. His mother, Desiree Everts, said all five victims should still be alive today. She described her daughter as her “mini me” and the joy of becoming a grandmother to Tessleigh Godinez.

“He not only killed five members of his family; he killed us all,” she said. “He took my little girls, my past, my present and my future.”

The young woman's father, Steven Everts, called his daughter a saving grace.

“This stupid act left me dead inside,” he said in court. “You took away more than you sit there and realize.”

Some of Puebla's family members also spoke in court, including his brother Norberto Puebla Gallegos, who said he hoped the victims' families would find comfort and strength in their memories.

He argued that the prosecution had portrayed his brother as a bad person.

“I think this portrayal does not reflect his true character,” he said. “He is the most compassionate, caring and loving person. He is an absolutely amazing father to his children.”

He blamed the trucking company Puebla worked for at the time and the box truck's poor brakes.

Puebla's wife also addressed the court, describing her husband's anxiety and trouble sleeping after the accident, and how he has always been a reliable, kind and responsible father and husband.

She read in court a letter from one of Puebla's two daughters, which said: “I really miss my father. Will you let him out now, please? It makes me cry at school when I can't see him…I just want my family to be together.

After the family's statements, the prosecution reminded the court that the crash was not an accident and that the jury had found Puebla guilty of reckless action. The prosecutor said evidence showed he was going 76.88 mph at the time of the crash and only tried to brake when he was on top of the victims' car. He did not have a valid commercial driver's license that day and had a prior conviction for speeding, the prosecutor said.

“It wasn’t road rage, judge,” she said. “It was road terrorism.”

The defense argued that the truck Puebla was driving had been “reconfigured” in a way that no expert, including Puebla, could have understood. He added that for justice to truly be served in this case, the trucking company should also be held accountable. Throwing Puebla in prison for the rest of his life is not justice, the defense said.

Before the judge announced the sentence, she gave Puebla the opportunity to speak.

“I would like to say that I am truly sorry and that I never meant to hurt anyone,” he said.

After a brief pause to gather her composure, the judge returned to the courtroom.

“There is a lot of heartbreak and a lot of love in the courtroom today,” she began, adding that whatever the sentence, no one would leave the courtroom this afternoon. noon, win or lose.

She expressed her condolences to the families of the victims and thanked Puebla for its apology. The judge said anyone could have been in the victim's car that day – all five victims were simply on their way home and stuck in traffic.

Like the prosecution, the judge noted that the crash was not an accident and that Puebla acted with criminal culpability, even though he did not intend to cause an accident.

“I believe you feel remorse and regret what happened that day,” the judge said.

She said she agreed with Puebla's attorney that the box truck's brakes were in poor condition, but that had nothing to do with Puebla's culpability. Traffic didn't suddenly start: Drivers reported seeing the backup for at least a half-mile and even with the condition of the brakes, the truck could have slowed in two to three seconds, she said, noting testimony during the trial.

Any sentence she announced Friday afternoon would not equal the lives lost or the love of the victims, she said.

The judge then sentenced Puebla to two years in prison for each of the five vehicular homicide charges and one year for the vehicular assault charge, making a total of 11 years. Afterward, she told the defendant that it was a long period of time in prison, but that she was confident his family would support him.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you lost your detention before your kids left high school,” she said.