Roberto Rangel, a 51-year-old man who was involved in a fatal crash that resulted in the deaths of two individuals in December 2022, now faces up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to his seventh DWI offense. According to FOX 7 Austin, Rangel failed to yield right of way while exiting a parking lot, an action which subsequently led to the collision with a motorcycle being driven by 23-year-old Mark Narvaez, accompanied by 22-year-old Kate Garcia, both of whom perished at the site of the crash.
The tragic event has caused ongoing grief for the victims' families, with the third holiday season having passed without their presence, Hector Narvaez, Mark's father, confessed, "It brings back, of course, the hard, you know, memories and from two years ago, so, yeah, I chose not to look at all of it," as reported by Yahoo News. Elida Zamora, Kate Garcia's mother, lamented that "Half of my life is gone," speaking to the irreplaceable loss sustained.
Rangel had initially been charged with intoxication manslaughter but was arrested later for a second-degree felony DWI, his seventh such offense. After his charge was reduced, and his bond was lowered to $10,000, Rangel was released from jail and resided out of custody until his recent court appearance on January 22, where he entered the courtroom not in handcuffs; however, he was cuffed and escorted back to jail after the proceeding.
Hector Narvaez expressed his opinion on Rangel's multiple offenses saying, "I know people believe in second chances, but I think that this person has had more than, you know, a cat's lives," acknowledging the repeated transgressions that led up to the current state of affairs. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, and as the sentencing hearing approaches on February 12th, the families of the victims are bracing for a potential, though incomplete, sense of closure, "This is really kind of the earthly way, right, the judicial way that we're going to be able to have some level of closure with this, but no, that void, well, you know, so long as we're around, will always be felt," according to a statement by Mark Narvaez’s brother Alex Narvaez obtained by Yahoo News.
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