Jesus Puebla: Colorado driver with no CDL found guilty in truck crash that killed 5 family members

GILLETTE, WYOMING: On Thursday, a driver in Colorado was convicted of reckless and negligent driving on Interstate 25 without possessing a commercial driver’s license (CDL).

Nearly two years ago, this led to a collision that tragically claimed the lives of five members of a family from Gillette, Wyoming.

Jesus Puebla, now 27 years old, the identified defendant, was convicted by jurors in Weld County on all 10 counts announced by the district attorney’s office in December 2022.

The charges were filed six months after the tragic crash that claimed the lives of 20-year-old Aaron Godinez, his 20-year-old fiancee Halie Everts, their 3-month-old daughter Tessleigh Godinez, and Aaron’s parents Emiliano and Christina Godinez, aged 51 and 47.

What happened in the courtroom?

Colorado Public Radio reported that Jesus Puebla was unlawfully driving a box truck carrying US Postal Service mail when he collided with the victims, resulting in their deaths. 

This occurred shortly after the family had celebrated Aaron Godinez’s birthday as per Law&Crime. 

The defendant was traveling at 76 mph before crashing into the victim’s 2015 Ford Edge, which was moving at a speed of 6 to 10 mph. 

During the trial, the defendant and his legal team purportedly shifted blame to Caminantes Trucking, the owner of the box truck, alleging that they provided Puebla with a vehicle equipped with malfunctioning brakes.

However, prosecutors argued that eyewitness testimony confirmed Puebla's reckless driving, which endangered lives regardless of the condition of the brakes. 

Deputy District Attorney Yvette Guthrie stated, "He did not brake until he hit this family. We know when he braked because there are skid marks. It’s that simple" 

A 911 caller reported that Puebla "went through those vehicles like butter" and "didn’t even try to stop." 

Another witness account from the affidavit criticized the truck driver’s actions, saying, "I was in the left lane and kinda remember him riding my a**, and I was like, ‘What the hell?'"

When will Jesus Puebla be sentenced?

Ultimately, jurors concluded that Puebla bore criminal responsibility for each fatality.

The Weld County District Attorney’s Office, upon announcing Puebla’s conviction, underscored that he also caused severe injuries to another driver involved in the crash on that ill-fated day. 

Alongside five counts of vehicular homicide, Puebla was convicted of careless and reckless driving, as well as committing a commercial vehicle safety violation while operating without a CDL on June 13, 2022. 

Puebla is scheduled to be sentenced on the afternoon of June 21. 

According to Colorado law, a charge of vehicular manslaughter constitutes a class 4 felony, typically carrying a penalty of two to six years of imprisonment.