A 45-year-old man from Socorro, Texas, has been ordered to be held in a Mexican prison pending trial for his alleged role in a fatal car accident that killed three teenage girls.
According to the charges filed against Henry Raygoza, he was speeding in a black Jeep with Texas plates when he struck a blue Honda carrying two women and three girls on June 24 in Juarez. The Honda was sent careening across the median, where it was hit head-on by a tractor-trailer. The three girls died from their injuries, while the two women suffered serious harm.
Raygoza is facing charges of manslaughter, injuries to others, and damage to property. Prosecutors claim that he was under the influence of cocaine and marijuana at the time of the accident and were seeking aggravated homicide charges.
The prosecutor’s office has announced its intention to appeal the judge’s decision, citing “aggravated circumstances” that were not considered in the ruling. The prosecution alleges that Raygoza was speeding because he was fleeing the scene of an earlier crash where he had struck a Chevrolet Astro van.
If convicted, Raygoza could face a sentence of between three years and six months in prison for manslaughter, or up to 50 years for aggravated homicide.
At his hearing on Monday, Raygoza appeared in court with bruises on his face from the accident and was described by a witness as being silent and having a vacant stare. The victims were reportedly on their way to pick up dresses for a quinceañera party when they were killed in the crash.
Source: Border Report
