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A 37-year-old Donna man who caused a fatal crash while fleeing from a residence of a person he had been harassing pleaded not guilty to a six-count indictment that includes a charge of murder.
Jose Guadalupe Padilla, who was indicted on Oct. 31, is also charged with evading arrest causing serious bodily injury, evading arrest or detention causing death, intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle, intoxication assault with vehicle causing serious bodily injury and driving while intoxicated, third or more.
Padilla was arraigned on Monday.
He is accused of crashing into and killing Erick Alberto Juarez and injuring Martha Valencia on Aug. 21. Police had been chasing Padilla when he caused the fatal crash.
The fatal chain of events began in Weslaco that day after Hidalgo County sheriff’s deputies went to a residence there in regards to a suspicious vehicle.
“The complainant advised that there was a male knocking on the window of the residence holding an unknown object in his hand,” a probable cause affidavit stated. “The caller said it was possibly Jose Padilla.”
During the investigation, deputies learned Padilla also had a warrant for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and that he was traveling south in a white Kia Optima.
When a deputy attempted a traffic stop, Padilla disregarded designated stops until he approached the intersection of Victoria Road and U.S. Business 83 where he hit a red Ford Ranger driven by Juarez.
He remains held in the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center.
