Suspect in fatal crash appears in court
A Spring man accused of causing the deaths of three people in a drunkendriving crash will be prohibited from driving and have to wear an alcohol monitor if he makes bail set at $300,000, a judge ruled Monday.
Jeremy Valdez, 25, was arraigned on three counts of felony murder. He appeared in court wearing an orange jail uniform with his hands handcuffed to a waist chain.
State District Judge Denise Collins asked prosecutors and Valdez’ defense attorney several questions, including details about his criminal record, before setting bail.
Valdez has three prior convictions for driving while intoxicated. For the last one, he was sentenced to two years in prison. Although DWI is typically a misdemeanor, charges can be upgraded after two convictions to a felony punishable by prison time.
Three family members in north Harris County were killed just after midnight Saturday when the black Honda sedan they were in was hit by a Dodge Ram pickup truck running a red light, prosecutors said.
The sedan carrying a mother, father and teenage son was making a left turn from Kuykendahl onto FM 2920 when it was struck.
The Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office identified the victims as Emilio Avila, 34, Hilda Avila, 42, and Mauricio Ramires, 18.
The pickup flipped several times before landing upright almost a block away, said prosecutor Alison Baimbridge. She said Valdez was the only occupant and fled the scene but was caught later by deputy constables. He failed field sobriety tests, authorities said.
Felony murder is defined as causing a death while committing another felony — in this case a DWI. Because of his prior criminal record, Valdez if convicted faces a punishment ranging from 15 years to life in prison.
Baimbridge said Valdez had an open warrant for a municipal court violation.
Defense attorney Brian Roberts said he is still investigating the allegations.
“We don’t know what happened in this case,” he said. “We don’t know what happened out there that night.”