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A 21-year-old Alton woman on Friday afternoon was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to intoxication manslaughter for a fatal McAllen crash that killed a 43-year-old woman.
Sorely Lizeth Niño, who was 19 at the time of the crash, killed Brenda Belmontes on May 29, 2022.
Hidalgo County District Attorney Toribio “Terry” Palacios said the decade in prison is warranted.
“A 10-year prison sentence is warranted when an innocent life is lost because somebody made a selfish decision of driving while intoxicated,” Palacios said in a news release announcing the sentence. “I urge citizens of the Rio Grande Valley to prevent these situations by making a plan ahead of time to avoid driving drunk.
The crash happened at approximately 2:35 a.m. that day at 500 S. 15th Street in downtown McAllen.
Niño was driving black Ford Taurus that hit a GMC Envoy, which Belmontes was trying to enter, according to the news release and a probable cause affidavit.
Niño’s blood alcohol content was 0.19 — more than twice the legal limit.
Responding officers found Belmontes lying face up in the middle of the road and the GMC Envoy’s driver told authorities Niño’s Taurus was traveling at a high rate of speed, according to the affidavit.
Niño and two other women were all trapped in the Taurus.
After being removed, police identified signs of intoxication from Niño.
“Okay sir, I didn’t want to drive. I’m sorry,” Niño told an officer before she began to cry, according to the affidavit.
One of the other women in the Taurus told an officer she had been at a club in downtown McAllen before she began falling asleep, according to the affidavit.
The two other women were arrested for public intoxication.
Niño was booked into the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center on July 10 to await her plea, court records show.
She had been free on a $40,000 bond.
