On Saturday, June 4, 2022, officers with Conroe Police Department were dispatched to a crash in Conroe. The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office Vehicular Crimes Team responded to the scene to assist. Upon arrival, officers learned Garza ran a red light, striking a vehicle with two people inside. Garza had a blood alcohol concentration of .216 and was previously convicted of Driving While Intoxicated in 2011. The two victims of the car struck by Garza were rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. The passenger was released from the hospital after extensive treatment. The driver of the vehicle, however, succumbed to his injuries after nearly four months in the hospital.
On Tuesday, March 7, 2023, the surviving victim spoke directly to the man who killed her husband and nearly killed her. She told Garza that his selfish acts cut her husband’s life short. After a guilty plea to Intoxication Manslaughter and Intoxication Assault, Garza was sentenced to 15 and 10 years in those cases, respectively. The vehicle was also considered a deadly weapon in the crash. Due to that, he must serve a minimum of half his sentence.
While reading her impact statement to Garza, the surviving victim detailed the impact of the loss of her husband of over 50 years. She told Garza that she hoped he was ready to turn his life around and that redemption could be found in this tragedy, but that would be up to him. She ended by telling Garza, “God has a plan. Please don’t let [her husband’s] death be in vain”.
Prosecutor Carmen Morales: “Garza is finally in a place where his selfish decisions can no longer hurt others.
His decisions on June 4 shattered the lives of many. Now, he will have many years in a prison cell to think
about his actions. We hope that his prison sentence will be seen by those who think drinking and driving is
acceptable in any way. It isn’t.”
Vehicular Crimes Chief Brittany Hansford: “Yet another family had to bury their loved one because of
Garza’s selfish choice of drinking and driving. The most frustrating part is that this is an entirely preventable
crime, yet people persist in doing it despite the deaths and broken lives. So long as they do, we will continue
to fight for the victims and to bring accountability to those who commit these crimes.”
