Colorado Man Turns Himself In After Fatally Shooting Wife and Dumping Body by Pond

A Colorado man who chillingly confessed to murdering his wife during a 911 call in September 2024 has been sentenced to life in prison, authorities confirmed.

According to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO), on the morning of September 1, 2024, dispatchers received a disturbing call from Stephen Chan. During the brief exchange, Chan admitted, “I murdered my wife,” before abruptly hanging up. Law enforcement quickly traced the call to the area of Walsen Road in Gleneagle, southeast of Monument.

Moments later, another 911 call came in, reporting that a body had been dumped near Smith Creek in the 600 block of Walsen Road. Deputies rushed to the scene and discovered the body of 54-year-old Jian Chan, Stephen’s wife, according to the local CBS station KKTV.

Investigators then tracked the phone used in the initial call to a nearby residence in the 13800 block of Horsetail Terrace, just south of where Jian’s body was found. When deputies conducted a welfare check at the address, they learned that Stephen Chan had already surrendered himself at a Colorado Springs Police substation. He was immediately taken into custody.

Chan faced multiple charges, including first-degree murder, assault by strangulation, and kidnapping. Prosecutors later revealed that Chan had initially been offered the option to plead guilty to a lesser manslaughter charge in April 2025, but they ultimately declined to move forward with the deal. Instead, Chan entered a plea of not guilty, setting the stage for a trial.

On Friday, August 15, 2025, after reviewing the evidence and testimony, the jury found Chan guilty on all counts. He was sentenced to life in the Colorado Department of Corrections for the murder of his wife. In addition to the life sentence, he received 32 years for the assault conviction and another six years for kidnapping.

EPSO officials said the case highlighted the swift cooperation between dispatchers, deputies, and Colorado Springs Police, which led to Chan’s capture just hours after the murder.

The sentencing marks the final chapter in a case that began with a chilling phone call and ended with a conviction that will keep Stephen Chan behind bars for the rest of his life.

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