A 22-year-old Alton man facing an intoxication manslaughter indictment for a fatal September crash that killed his passenger has died.
Fabian Hernandez was scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday, but his attorney informed the court that his client was deceased.
A grand jury indicted Hernandez on March 16. An obituary published on Rivera Funeral Home’s website says he died on March 26.
His cause of death isn’t immediately clear.
Authorities allege that Hernandez was intoxicated on Sept. 18 when he crashed into a tree and killed his passenger, 38-year-old Luis Armando Santana Valero.
The affidavit for his arrest said the crash occurred in the 4600 block of west State Highway 107 at approximately 5:59 a.m. where they found Hernandez in his 2015 gray Nissan Altima.
“Mr. Hernandez was driving west bound on State Highway 107 and veered off the roadway and collided with a tree,” the affidavit stated. “The passenger of his vehicle, [Santana], eventually died of his injuries at the hospital.”
He died on Sept. 27.
Hernandez had been free on a $30,000 bond at the time of his death.
When a suspect with an open criminal case dies, prosecutors move to dismiss the case.
