TYLER, Texas — A Tyler man accused of driving at speeds of over 100 mph when his car collided with a truck causing the death of his passenger in October has been indicted on a manslaughter charge.
Jose Manuel Esparza, 24, was indicted on April 28 in connection with the Oct. 14, 2021 wreck that lead to the death of Pablo Avila.
Esparza was arrested Nov. 5 and released the same day on a $10,000 bond, according to Smith County Jail records.
According to the arrest affidavit, the wreck occurred in the 2200 block of the W SW Loop 323 and left Avila in critical condition. The detective was told Avila would most likely die.
The detective noticed a black Corvette that was almost “unrecognizable due to the severity of the damage” facing south on the shoulder of the Loop’s eastbound lanes. A white pickup was in the median facing east, and a white car was in the grass in front of Mercados.
In the affidavit, the officer said he was told the Corvette was traveling at a high rate of speed and ran into the back of the pickup, causing the truck to spin and stop in the median. The Corvette then went over the median into oncoming traffic and struck the white car that was moving east on the Loop.
According to the report, once the brakes were applied when the car was going 113 mph, it would’ve taken 600 feet for an average vehicle to stop. The affidavit also noted that the speed limit for that area is 50 mph.
The police document stated the driver of the Corvette, who was later identified as Esparza, was at fault. When the officer first went to the hospital, he learned Esparza had minor injuries, while Avila was in a trauma room and later admitted to the ICU.
On Oct. 16, the investigator was told Avila had died, the affidavit read. After reviewing the crash data report made by another officer, the detective saw the Corvette traveling over 100 mph as it neared the pickup and just two seconds before the crash.
About five seconds before the wreck, the crash report states Esparza “floored” the accelerator, which police said indicated the driver’s intent to travel at the high speed, the affidavit stated.
Esparza has an arraignment hearing scheduled for June 20 and a plea docket agreement set for July 6, according to court records.
