A 43-year-old man accused of hitting and killing a 37-year-old woman and sending her 42-year-old husband to the hospital in critical condition had the police called on him prior to the crash after he went to his ex-wife’s boyfriend’s house.
Jose Martin Vela, 43, is charged with intoxication manslaughter; accident involving death; three counts of accident involving serious bodily injury; accident involving personal injury; and three counts of intoxicated assault.
New details revealed at the arraignment indicate that Vela had gone to his ex-wife’s boyfriend’s house before the crash occurred.
He called police around 12:46 a.m. regarding the suspicious activity happening outside his home.
Police say that once he hung up, Vela rammed his gray 2004 GMC Yukon into the boyfriend’s vehicle and drove away from the scene.
It was at this point that a responding officer, who was heading to the 1000 block of Solar Drive, observed Vela driving down Mayberry Road at a high rate of speed, so the officer made a u-turn in order to catch up with Vela to conduct a traffic stop.
Vela then “disregarded” a red light and crashed into a silver 2015 Ford Explorer that had a family of five in it.
“What happened was that the family was at a small function,” Mission police investigator Art Flores said. “Father calls son to pick the mother and the father up which, en route, the brother took his brother and sister … and they were going back home.”
The mother died at the scene while her husband was taken to a local hospital in critical condition.
One son and the daughter were also hospitalized for their injuries sustained in the crash while the other son remained relatively unharmed, police said.
The children range from 15 to 18 in age, according to Flores.
Police have not yet identified anyone from the family.
Vela fled the scene on foot and hid from police until he was apprehended when he was found in the area of Conway Avenue and State Highway 495 around 6 a.m.
Vela, who made a first appearance in Mission Municipal Court on Friday afternoon, remains jailed at the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center on $1,705,000 in bonds.
