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  • 16 Sep 2013

August was not a good month for Hector Ramirez, an 18-year old from south Texas. It was a much worse month for some of those whose lives he touched.

According the police, Ramirez was arrested last month for allegedly attempting to cross the border into Mexico with a stolen vehicle. At the time of his arrest, they say he also was in possession of marijuana. He was released on bond, but that wasn’t the end of it. A week later, authorities say that Ramirez was spotted by a sergeant with the Department of Public Safety driving a stolen pickup truck. The officer claims that he was involved in a high-speed chase of the truck when it ran a red light and plowed into three other vehicles, including an SUV carrying seven member of the same family. Six of the family members were killed in the collision, and four of them were children. Another five people were injured in the crash. Ramirez now faces six counts of murder.

This is certainly a tragedy, no matter what the outcome of the criminal charges. We’ll take the opportunity, however, to point out a couple of the issues that jumped out at us when we read the reports of the collision. First, you may be wondering how a car accident, even one that causes a death, translates into murder, as opposed to manslaughter, or criminally negligent homicide. The answer is that even though the deaths were not planned or intentional, both the alleged unauthorized use of the pickup truck, as well as fleeing from the pursuing officer in a vehicle, if proven, are felonies; and if you commit a dangerous act during or in immediate flight from the commission of a felony, and that act causes a death of another person, it can be charged as murder.

The second thought we wanted our readers to consider is whether the high-speed chase, and others like it, are worth the price. On the one hand, we have a fleeing person who is allegedly engaged in a crime, in this case auto theft. On the other, we have six innocent family members who are now dead. Even assuming the facts unfold as stated by the police, do you think the intended result – capture of the auto thief – warranted placing these innocent people in harms’ way?

Law Office of David D. White, PLLC
1205 Rio Grande Street
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 369-3737

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This Website is meant for marketing purposes only. The website and communications through it do not constitute a client-attorney relationship. David White is a criminal defense attorney with offices in Austin Texas. David defends clients throughout Austin and the surrounding areas.

Law Office of David D. White, PLLC
608 W. 12TH ST.
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 369-3737
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