Michael Butler, 44, was booked into the Harris County Jail Wednesday and charged with manslaughter, records show. His first appearance in court is set for Monday.
Martha Avila, 76, died after a Tesla Model 3 carrying Butler crashed into the family’s home on June 19. Avila’s family, Jennifer and Justin Barbour, filed a civil lawsuit against Tesla and Butler on June 24. That same week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched a special investigation into the crash.
The Barbours allege in their lawsuit that Tesla’s driver assistance systems — which they say Butler had engaged at the time of the crash — had a known history of danger. The Barbours are seeking more than $1 million in relief from the defendants and requesting a jury trial, according to the lawsuit.
The day of the crash, Avila was inside the Barbours’ home with her grandchildren enjoying a day “filled with laughter and good company — until a two-ton Tesla came barreling through the front wall of her home,” the lawsuit states.
The Barbours accuse Tesla of marketing the driver assistance systems as safe despite knowing the danger the systems can present. In a post on X, Elon Musk cast doubt on his company’s driver assistance technology playing a role in the crash.