HOUSTON, TX – A 6-year-old girl was killed in a crash caused by her stepfather’s alleged drunk driving on the Southwest Freeway this weekend, and he is facing murder charges as a result.
According to reporting by KTRK, the crash occurred on the Southwest Freeway near Chimney Rock Road just before 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Prior to the crash, the driver of a Honda was seen weaving between lanes of traffic and driving in an erratic manner. The driver then collided with an 18-wheeler truck, then continued driving. He then collided with a red Mercedes, and then with a box truck.
After the third collision, a 6-year-old girl who was identified as the man’s stepdaughter was ejected from the vehicle.
The child, whose seventh birthday would have been on Wednesday, was taken to the hospital, where she later died.
The driver’s two sons, ages 4 and 2, were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
According to witness testimony, the suspect, identified as Paul Rodriguez, did not check on the girl as she was lying in the road. He also allegedly said that the child was not his daughter and appeared to be intoxicated.
Rodriguez, who has seven drug-related charges in his criminal background, was initially charged with intoxication assault and DWI with a child under 15. However, those charges have been dropped and he has been charged instead with murder. His bond was set at $250,000.
The family has created a GoFundMe in order to raise money for funeral expenses.
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