DENVER — A truck driver convicted on 10 counts connected to a Weld County crash that killed a Wyoming family was sentenced to prison on Friday afternoon.
In late March, a jury convicted Jesus Puebla on multiple charges related to the 2022 crash, including five counts of vehicular homicide (reckless driving), vehicular assault (reckless) and careless driving.
On Friday afternoon, a judge sentenced Puebla to 11 years in the Department of Corrections — two for each of the five vehicular homicide charges and one for the vehicular assault charge.
Watch our coverage of his March conviction below.
Five people, all in a 2015 Ford Edge, died in the crash, which happened around 1:30 p.m. on June 13, 2022 in the northbound lanes of Interstate 25 near milemarker 243. A driver in another car had minor injuries as well. Puebla was not injured. In total, four vehicles were involved in the crash.
Based on the subsequent investigation, 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 to about 6 mph for traffic. The collision set off a series of other crashes. Puebla, who was 26 years old at the time, was driving about 76 mph when he hit the back of the Ford. He stayed at the scene.
The five people in the Ford Edge were identified as family members from Gillette, Wyoming: 20-year-old Aaron Godinez (driver), 20-year-old Halie Everts, 47-year-old Christina Godinez, 51-year-old Emiliano Godinez, and 3-month-old Tessleigh Godinez.
In December 2022, Puebla was formally charged with vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, careless driving, reckless driving, driving without a commercial driver's license and a commercial vehicle safety violation. He was found guilty in March on 10 counts.
During the sentencing hearing on Friday, multiple members of the Godinez and Everts family spoke about how no sentence would feel appropriate.
“My mom and dad were the best parents any child could wish for," said Abigail Godinez. "They were bright. They were just amazing.”
She said her brother, Aaron Godinez, was her best friend, and recalled walking to school with him every day.
Haden Everts, the younger brother of Halie Everts, described each day since the crash as "dreadful." His older sister was the one person he could be the most vulnerable around, he told the court.
Like many other family members who spoke, 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. Her mother Desiree Everts said that all five of the victims should still be alive today. She described her daughter as her "mini me," and the thrill of becoming a grandmother to Tessleigh Godinez.
“He didn’t just kill five family members; he killed all of us," she said. "He took my baby girls, my past, my present and my future.”
The young woman's father, Steven Everts, called his daughter a saving grace.
“This foolish act has 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 hopes the victims' families find comfort and strength in their memories.
He argued that the prosecution painted his brother as a bad person.
"I believe that representation is not reflective of his true character," he said. "He is the most compassionate, caring and loving person. He is an absolutely amazing father to his kids.”
He blamed the trucking company that Puebla was working for at the time, and the poor brakes on the box truck.
Puebla's wife also address the court, describing her husband's anxiety and trouble sleeping after the crash, and how he has always been a reliable, kind and responsible father and husband.
She read a letter from one of Puebla's two daughters in court, which read: “I really miss my dad. Will you let him out now, please? It makes me cry at school when I can’t see him... I just want my family together.”
After the family statements, the prosecution reminded the court that the crash was no accident and the jury had found Puebla guilty of acting with recklessness. The prosecutor said evidence showed he had been driving 76.88 mph at the time of the crash and did not try to brake until he was on top of the victims' car. He did not have a valid commercial driver's license as of that day and had previous traffic convictions related to speeding, the prosecutor said.
“This was not road rage, judge," she said. "It was traffic terrorism.”
The defense argued that the truck Puebla was driving had been "reconfigured" in a way that no expert, Puebla included, could have understood. He added that to truly achieve justice in this case, the trucking company should be held accountable as well. 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 chance to speak.
“I would like to say I am so sorry and I never meant to hurt anyone," he said.
After a brief recess to collect her thoughts, the judge returned to the courtroom.
“There is a lot of grief and a lot of love in the courtroom today," she started, adding that no matter the sentence, nobody would walk out of the courtroom that afternoon a winner or a loser.
She expressed her condolences to the victims' families and thanked Puebla for his apology. The judge said anybody could have been in that victim car that day — the 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 Puebla acted with criminal culpability, though he did not intend to cause a crash.
“I believe you feel remorse and you regret what happened that day," the judge said.
She said she agrees with Puebla's lawyer that the brakes of the box truck were in poor condition, but that is separate from Puebla's guilt. The traffic did not come on suddenly — drivers reported seeing the backup for at least half a mile and even with the condition of the brakes, the truck could have slowed within two to three seconds, she said, noting testimony during trial.
Any sentence she announced Friday afternoon would not equal the life lost and how loved the victims were, she said.
The judge then sentenced Puebla to two years on each of the five vehicular homicide counts and one year for the vehicular assault charge, totaling 11 years. Afterward, she told the defendant that this is a significant time in prison, but she felt confident that his family would support him.
"I would not be surprised if you are out of custody before your children are out of high school," she said.
