By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
- • A St. Louis judge sentenced 25-year-old Ramon Chavez-Rodriguez to 15 years in prison for a 2024 DUI crash that killed St. Louis Metropolitan Police Officer David Lee.
- • Chavez-Rodriguez had drugs and alcohol in his system and was speeding when his vehicle struck Officer Lee on Interstate 70.
- • Officer Lee, a 44-year-old veteran with 18 years of service, was responding to another crash when he was struck.
- • Relatives of Lee spoke during sentencing about the impact of his death on their family.
- • Chavez-Rodriguez’s immigration status remains pending as part of ongoing legal matters.
ST. LOUIS, MO — A St. Louis judge on Jan. 8 sentenced 25-year-old Ramon Chavez-Rodriguez to 15 years in prison for driving under the influence and causing a 2024 crash that killed St. Louis Metropolitan Police Officer David Lee, court records show.
Chavez-Rodriguez was driving a Kia Sorento on Interstate 70 near North Grand Avenue when he lost control of the vehicle while speeding with methamphetamine, ketamine, cocaine and alcohol in his system, authorities said. His vehicle struck Officer Lee, who was outside his patrol vehicle responding to a separate single-vehicle collision.
Officer Lee, 44, was pinned between vehicles and thrown several feet by the impact, police said. He was an 18-year veteran of the St. Louis Police Department at the time of his death.
During Thursday’s sentencing hearing, Lee’s family described the profound effect of his death on their lives. Prosecutors argued that Chavez-Rodriguez’s reckless actions warranted the maximum 15-year term, which city officials said could provide some measure of closure for the grieving family.
In addition to the prison sentence, Chavez-Rodriguez’s immigration status remains pending before federal authorities, according to court filings.