A Mercedes man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for driving drunk when he struck and killed a Harlingen man last year.
Jimmy Henry Cavazos pleaded guilty to charges of intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle, murder and driving while intoxicated for three or more times.
Cavazos was drunk on Oct. 2, 2016 when he drove his speeding Mazda southbound on 3rd Street at 3:30 p.m. and slammed into a Ford Taurus at the intersection of Van Buren near downtown Harlingen.
Elisha Elizondo, a 32-year-old pharmacist, was in the Taurus and died at the scene. He is survived by a wife and three-year-old child.
Police say the force of the impact was so strong Elizondo’s vehicle was pushed 50 feet past the intersection and the side of the car was pushed to the middle of the sedan.
