TYLER, Texas — A Tyler man charged with manslaughter in an October crash that killed his passenger was driving at speeds of more than twice the 50-mph limit when his car collided with a truck on Loop 323, police documents show.
Jose Manuel Esparza, 23, was arrested Friday in the death of Pablo Avila. Esparza was released the same day on a $10,000 bond, according to Smith County Jail records.
According to the arrest affidavit, the wreck occurred on Oct. 14 in the 2200 block of the W SW Loop 323 and left a passenger in one of the vehicles, later identified as 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.
Read the full story with our news partners, the Tyler Morning Telegraph.