JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. – A man accused in a suspected DUI crash that killed a woman in March 2025 pleaded not guilty Monday in a Jefferson County courtroom.
34-year-old Jian Bin Chen faces several charges, including vehicular homicide and driving under the influence of alcohol in connection to the I-70 wrong way crash that killed Jody Chavez on Thursday, March 13.
Chen is suspected of driving under the influence and in the wrong direction on eastbound I-70 near Ward Road when he allegedly struck Chavez’s vehicle nearly head on.
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Her husband, Steven, spoke to Denver7 in March about his family’s loss and his pursuit of justice."Jody is an amazing mother and wife," Chavez said of his late wife. "She leaves behind seven children. We're all shocked by what happened."
Their son was physically unhurt but traumatized, said Chavez.
"Miraculously, he's okay. You know, I expected the worst. Usually when you have a head-on collision, people don't really walk away from it," Chavez said. "He's not his normal self. Considering, you know, how tragic everything was and how serious the accident was, I'm very thankful that he came out okay."
According to court documents obtained by Denver7, Chen previously plead guilty to a driving under the influence charge in 2019 and was sentenced to 18 months probation.
"Clearly, he's a repeat offender. Doesn't have any respect for the law or the court or for other human safety,” said Steven Chavez back in March.
Chen is scheduled for a pretrial conference on September 8.
Denver7's Veronica Acosta contributed to this report.
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