FORT WORTH, Texas - A Tarrant County man will spend decades behind bars after a jury found him guilty on five counts of intoxication manslaughter in a 2024 crash that left three children and two adults dead.
Eduardo Gonzalez sentenced
Eduardo Gonzalez (Source: Fort Worth Police)
What we know:
A Tarrant County jury found 21-year-old Eduardo Gonzalez guilty on five counts of intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle in a 2024 high-speed crash that left a family of five dead.
Gonzalez was sentenced to 17 years in prison for each count. He will serve the sentences for the child victims consecutively and the adult victims concurrently, meaning he will spend 68 total years in prison.
The jury also levied a $50,000 fine on Gonzalez.
This browser does not support the Video element.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 5 killed in suspected drunk driving crash
The fatal crash claimed five lives, and police strongly suspect it was at the hands of a teenage drunk driver.
What they're saying:
"No sentence can restore those lives, but this verdict holds him accountable for every one of them," Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells said.
"The families of Willie, Amber, Elijah, Chrystale and Amiyah will live with this loss forever," Sorrells said. "I am grateful to our prosecutors, investigators, and Fort Worth police for giving these victims a voice and fighting for the justice they deserved."
2024 fatal Fort Worth crash
The backstory:
Willie Gunn, 48, Amber Hopewell, 38, and three of Hopewell's children – Elijah Carroll, 9, Chrystale Cobbin, 4, and Amiyah Fisher, 2, were killed in the August 19, 2024, crash.
Fort Worth man, his girlfriend and her 3 kids killed by alleged drunk driver, family says
Family members reveal a mother, her three young children and her boyfriend were the ones killed by an alleged teenage drunk driver on I-35W in Fort Worth this week.
Gonzalez, who was 19 at the time, was driving his Chevrolet Camaro on I-35W after consuming beer and THC, and was going 130 mph when he crashed into the back of a Chevy vehicle carrying Hopewell, Gunn, and the three children.
The Chevy burst into flames after the crash, and all five victims died on scene. It took several months for the victims to be identified because their bodies had been so badly burned.
This browser does not support the Video element.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Father remembers young daughter after fatal crash
Amiyah Lashae Rose Fisher was the youngest victim in a crash that killed five people in Fort Worth on Monday. Police say a 19-year-old drunk driver was behind the wheel.
Gonzalez suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries from the crash. An arrest affidavit for Gonzalez states he initially denied causing the crash, and was uncooperative with police when asked about damage to his car.
Police found several beer bottles and an open beer can in Gonzalez's car. At the hospital, officers said Gonzalez had red, watery eyes, slurred speech and smelled like alcohol.
The Source: Information in this story comes from the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office and previous FOX 4 reporting.