Douglas County Judge Patricia Herron sentenced Jessica Stahl, 46, to 22 years in the Department of Corrections for a deadly crash that occurred last year in Parker.
Just after 2 a.m. on June 16, 2022, officers with the Parker Police Department responded to the intersection of Parker Road and Cottonwood Drive for a car crash. Upon arrival, officers found a pedestrian, later identified as Lacey Lewis, 25, from Steamboat Springs in the middle of the road. After fighting for her life for several hours, she was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Lacey Lewis
The investigation revealed Lewis and her boyfriend were walking home and were in the crosswalk when Stahl plowed into the victim. Lewis’ boyfriend was not injured.
Stahl initially stopped at the scene and asked Lewis’ boyfriend, “Did I hit her?” Stahl, who never called 9-1-1 or offered any assistance, then went back to her car and stayed there for almost six minutes. When police started approaching her vehicle, Stahl sped away. Officers chased her for about a mile at high speed before she pulled over. The defendant was arrested and taken to a nearby hospital for a blood draw after clear indications of being under the influence of drugs.
“Two nurses with more than 40 years of combined experience couldn’t draw blood,” Deputy District Attorney Sherri Giger said. “Medical staff and officers had never witnessed such extensive track marks and destroyed veins from heroin use.”
In lieu of a blood sample, medical staff was able to collect a urine sample which showed illicit drug use including Heroin, Methamphetamine, Vicodin, Fentanyl, Suboxone, and Diphenhydramine.
Jessica Stahl
Following a four-day trial, a jury convicted Stahl of the following offenses:
-Vehicular Homicide/DUI
-Vehicular Assault/DUI
-Child Abuse
-Leaving the Scene of an Accident Involving Serious Bodily Injury
-Leaving the Scene of an Accident Causing Death
“At the time Stahl crashed into Lacey and took police on a chase, she had her young child in the car,” Deputy District Attorney Corrie Caler said. “This mother had no business being on the road that night and she put countless lives in danger.”
During the crash investigation, officers noted that Stahl was traveling through an overnight construction zone, where one witness and 9-1-1 caller observed Stahl weaving and driving erratically prior to the crash.
“This is the second fatal DUI-related case my Office successfully prosecuted in Douglas County during the month of May,” District Attorney John Kellner said. “These preventable tragedies are inexcusable and my prosecutors will continue holding offenders accountable who endanger innocent people on our roads.”
Earlier this month, Ricky Avalos-Trujillo, 25, was sentenced to 31 years in prison for killing two high school students in a DUI-related crash back in August of 2022. Details on this case can be viewed in the “News Releases” section of our DA18 web site.
