San Antonio man sentenced to 60 years in prison after fatal crash

MIDLAND, Texas (KOSA) - A 28-year-old San Antonio man was sentenced to 60 years in prison, according to the Midland County District Attorney’s Office.

Friday afternoon, the jury found Armando Gonzales Jr, guilty of Felony Murder..

Judge Jeffery T. Robnett assessed punishment at 60 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and a fine in the amount of $10,000.

The evidence presented in the case showed that on January 24, 2021, officers responded to a fatality crash on W. County Road 140.

Mr. Gonzales admitted to being the driver of the vehicle to law enforcement.

Mr. Gonzales’s Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) was .146.

The legal limit is .08.

The black box from the vehicle showed the defendant was going 97 miles an hour down WCR 140.

He ran a stop sign and lost control of the vehicle.

He collided with a dumpster, throwing the dumpster twenty yards.

The vehicle came to stop in the yard of a nearby residence.

The backseat passenger, Michelle Gomez, was killed instantly.

Mrs. Gomez was a decorated veteran who served as a combat translator in Afghanistan.

The defendant had been previously convicted of misdemeanor Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) twice in 2017.

This being the defendant’s third DWI incident increased it to a felony offense.

This felony DWI became the underlying felony for the Felony Murder charge.

The range of punishment for Felony Murder is 5 years to 99 years or Life in prison.

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