A Tarrant County jury found Eduardo Gonzalez guilty of five counts of intoxicated manslaughter after he killed five people in a crash on I-35W in Fort Worth, Texas.
Tarrant County Jail
A Fort Worth man was sentenced to prison Friday, more than two years after he killed five people in a car crash while he was intoxicated.
A Tarrant County jury found Eduardo Gonzalez guilty on five counts of intoxicated manslaughter and sentenced him to 17 years on each count. He will serve his three sentences for the child victims consecutively, and the sentences for the two adult victims concurrently.
Gonzalez, 21, will serve a total of 68 years in prison and will pay a $50,000 fine, the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Gonzalez was driving his Chevy Camaro northbound on I-35W at nearly 130 mph on Aug. 19, 2024, after drinking beer and consuming THC.
Near the East Seminary Drive exit, Gonzalez crashed into the back of another vehicle, causing it to burst into flames. It killed all five passengers inside the vehicle, including three children.
Willie Gunn’s family gathered in 2024 at Glenwood Park in Fort Worth in celebration of his life. The 48-year-old was one of five people who were killed after a drunk driver rear-ended the sedan he was in on Interstate 35. Nicole Lopez FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM ARCHIVES
The victims were Willie Gunn, 48; Amber Hopewell, 38; and three of Hopewell’s children, Elijah Carroll, 9; Chrystale Cobbin, 4; and Amiyah Fisher, 2.
Police found several alcoholic beverages in Gonzalez’s car, and officers at the scene said that his breath smelled of alcohol, his speech was slurred, and his eyes were red and watery.
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