Texas woman charged with murder after DWI-related crash kills 4-year-old

HOUSTON — A Texas woman was charged with felony murder after deputies said she caused a crash that killed her 4-year-old daughter and injured four other children early Sunday, authorities said.

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According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the 35-year-old woman was driving on the Sam Houston Parkway in Houston at about 4:30 a.m. CST when she struck a traffic signal device, KPRC reported. The device tipped over, and the woman’s vehicle struck a concrete barrier wall before coming to a stop in a southbound service lane, the television station reported.

Five children, ranging in ages from 2 to 10 years old, were in the vehicle with her, KHOU reported.

All of the children were taken to an area hospital, the television station reported. The 4-year-old was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Deputies said the 4-year-old was unsecured in the back seat of the vehicle and was sitting in the lap of another child, KTRK reported. The driver is the mother of four of the five children and told deputies she was on her way to drop off the child who was not hers, the television station reported.

At a news conference, Gonzalez said the woman was showing signs of intoxication at the scene of the crash, according to KTRK. She was initially charged with driving while intoxicated with a child passenger and intoxication assault, but the charges were upgraded after the 4-year-old child was pronounced dead, the television station reported.

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