Family of woman killed by suspected drunk driver seeks DUI reform, hosts vigil
Jody Chavez was killed in a crash involving a wrong-way driver in Wheat Ridge
By Chierstin Susel
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WHEAT RIDGE, Colorado (KCNC) — The family of Jody Chavez, a woman killed in a crash involving a wrong-way driver in Wheat Ridge, hosted a vigil for her Sunday night. The driver of that car, Jian Chen, was arrested at the scene, suspected of driving under the influence.
Sunday marked one month since Chavez was killed. Her friends and family came together to help keep her memory alive and to send a message that her death was entirely preventable.
Jody was only 36 years old when she passed away. She was a wife and a mother to seven children. She’ll be remembered for the way she cared for her family.
“This is her nephew, and she was so excited to be an aunt,” said her sister, Denise Daphne, as she looked down at her son. “We’ll just remember her like, just this big, powerful, loving presence.”
Jody’s two-year-old son survived the crash. Seeing him in the hospital is a moment her husband, Steven, will never forget.
“He was trying to tell me what happened,” said Steven Chavez. “He’s only two, you know. And he clung to me. He was holding on to me, you know. After that, I couldn’t set him down.”
His son clung to him as he did to his faith that they’d one day be reunited.
“It’s natural to question God ‘why?’,” said Steven. “You know, and he’s okay. My wife is gone, and she’s innocent, you know. And trying to seek understanding as a believer, I communicated with the Holy Spirit, and I was comforted.”
In the midst of his grief, Steven is seeking reform to prevent more families from experiencing this pain.
“I think Colorado does a good job protecting human rights, and I think that they should protect human lives just the same. Now, I would say that anybody who gets behind a wheel impaired in the state of Colorado would need to set the standard to the nation.”
The family wants stricter DUI laws and changes to probation requirements after the driver who killed his wife was quickly released on bail and was previously convicted of a DUI in 2019.
“If you get behind a wheel impaired and you take somebody’s life, you shouldn’t get a bond,” said Steven.
“It pisses me off that he already had a DUI and he was still driving,” Daphne added.
For Jody’s family, the tragedy is still raw, and the journey for justice is just beginning.
Steven’s hope is to not only work with Colorado lawmakers on a bill that would change the way DUI cases are handled, he wants to name it Jody’s Law in honor of his wife.
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