Texas jury convicts driver over deaths of 8 people struck by SUV outside migrant shelter

Jun 28, 2024 | 10:24 AM

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — A Texas jury on Friday found a driver guilty of intoxication manslaughter over the deaths of eight people who were struck by an SUV that plowed into a crowded bus stop outside a migrant shelter on the U.S.-Mexico border.

The verdict was handed down by a Cameron County jury more than a year after authorities say George Alvarez lost control of the vehicle after running a red light. The deadly scene happened in Brownsville, which has long been an epicenter for migration.

Alvarez was found guilty of eight counts of intoxication manslaughter at the end of a weeklong trial, said Edward Sandoval, a Cameron County prosecutor.

The sentencing phase of the trial was scheduled to begin later Friday. He faces up to 160 years in prison.