The wife and mother who died in a car crash after a Mission man allegedly ran a red light and t-boned the vehicle she and her family were in has been identified.
Jose Martin Vela, 43, is accused of killing 37-year-old Irene Asencio when he ran a red light at the intersection of Mayberry Road and East Griffin Parkway in Mission after he crashed into his ex-wife’s boyfriend’s vehicle while intoxicated, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The accident occurred on Jan. 16.
Vela is charged with intoxicated manslaughter with vehicle; accident involving death; four counts of accident involving serious bodily injury; three counts of intoxication assault with vehicle; and criminal mischief.
According to the affidavit, police were dispatched at around 12:46 a.m. to the area of 1000 East Solar Drive in regards to a suspicious black SUV parked in the area with its lights off though the officer, Guilherme Da Costa, was unable to locate the vehicle.
While at the intersection of Solar Drive and Mayberry Drive, Da Costa then observed a dark gray SUV traveling at a high rate of speed going southbound on Mayberry Road and began to follow the vehicle.
It was then that the vehicle “disregarded a red traffic signal at the intersection of Mayberry Road and East Griffin Parkway” and crashed into a dark gray Ford Explorer.
Da Costa observed a man exit the SUV, a gray 2004 GMC Yukon, and run southbound from the location.
He then called out for additional units as Da Costa proceeded to check on the people inside the Explorer.
According to Da Costa, the Explorer was occupied by five people. Two males were sitting in the front seat area, one female was in the rear left seat and another male and female were in the third seating area of the vehicle.
The female sitting on the rear left area was later identified as Asencio. She was unresponsive and not breathing.
Da Costa began to perform CPR on Asencio while Mission Fire and Rescue and medical personnel arrived at the scene.
All victims were transported to local hospitals though Asencio was airlifted to DHR Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
One male suffered scrapes and bruises, another was diagnosed with bleeding in his brain, the female was in surgery due to a laceration to their liver and their father, 42-year-old Oscar Trevino, suffered a broken bone in his pelvic area and was also going through surgery.
Later that morning, Officer Daniel Perez was briefed on the situation and began his search for Vela, which concluded when he found him on the 400 block of West Griffin Parkway.
When Perez attempted to make contact with Vela, he began to walk at a rapid pace despite sustaining physical injuries from the crash.
Perez observed Vela to be drenched in sweat and had grass stains and dirt on his khaki cargo shorts and shoes. He was also displaying signs of intoxication, emitting a strong odor of alcohol and complained of major back pain and a headache.
Vela remains jailed on $1,705,000 in bonds.
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Police called prior to Mission fatal crash after suspect went to ex-wife’s boyfriend’s house
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