TYLER, Texas — A Tyler man pleaded guilty to killing two children in a Gregg County wreck while driving while intoxicated last January.
Hayden M. Malone, 22, entered guilty pleas to two counts of intoxication assault and two counts of intoxication manslaughter on Thursday, according to Gregg County judicial records.
He is charged in connection with the deaths of a 2-year-old boy and a 5-month-old boy as well as the injuries of a Longview man and a 4-year-old girl.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said Mercedes D. Cole, 24, of Longview, was traveling on Texas 149, near Lakeport, on Jan. 13, 2022 and was preparing to turn into the Dollar General parking lot. DPS said that's when Cole's vehicle was struck by a car, also traveling south, driven by Malone.
A 2-year-old boy and a 5-month-old boy, who were passengers in Cole's vehicle, died after the wreck, according to DPS.
Alan Cerna, 26, of Longview, was taken to a local hospital in serious condition. A 4-year-old girl was flown to a Shreveport medical center following the wreck. Both were passengers in Cole's vehicle, DPS said.
Cole and a 7-year-old passenger were uninjured.
Malone remains in the Gregg County Jail on bonds totaling $600,000.