Thomas Herold is still setting a place at the table for his daughter in his mind, and he says the criminal justice system owes him answers.
Herold’s 26-year-old daughter, Larissa, was killed in a multi-vehicle collision on West Parmer Lane last November. Now prosecutors have charged a repeat offender with manslaughter in connection with the crash, and the family’s attorneys say new court filings have ripped open old wounds about how earlier plea deals were handled. The arrest has put a harsh spotlight back on how deferred adjudications work in Travis County and who ends up back on the street.
Investigators say the driver, identified as Jaheim Neal, was speeding and behind the wheel without a valid license when the crash happened. According to police, his blood-alcohol concentration measured 0.12, and tests also came back positive for cocaine and marijuana. Neal was booked on a manslaughter charge, and a judge set his bond at $50,000. Court filings and related detention orders may decide whether that bond actually results in his release, according to KXAN.
Larissa was killed on Nov. 22, 2025, in the 2800 block of West Parmer Lane near the MoPac Expressway. The city’s crash log shows emergency crews rushing to a four-vehicle collision that afternoon. Her family says she was a mechanical engineer with two degrees from the University of Texas at Austin who poured her free time into community volunteer work. The initial report on the fatal wreck is on file with the City of Austin, and local coverage at the time included a story on the 85th fatal crash of 2025.
Defendant's Record And Court Actions
Court records show Neal struck a deal with prosecutors in 2020, entering a plea that put him on an eight-year deferred adjudication for aggravated kidnapping and robbery. That supervision agreement is now under a microscope. Prosecutors say Neal later violated the terms, and after his arrest in the Parmer crash, the Travis County District Attorney’s Office filed motions to revoke his deferred adjudication.
According to filings reviewed by reporters, Judge Chantal Eldridge initially denied those revocation motions. She later granted the state’s request to have Neal placed back in custody. The next setting in the case is scheduled for June 2026, per KXAN.
Family Reaction
“She was my daughter and my friend, and this is devastating,” Thomas Herold said, laying out both his grief and his anger at how the legal process has unfolded.
His sister Ilana told reporters that Larissa was an outspoken advocate for public transportation and a regular volunteer. The family says what they cannot understand is why, given Neal’s record and prior case, he was in a position to be back on the road at all.
Relatives say they plan to keep pressing for accountability and clarity as the court case moves forward, even if it means reliving the worst day of their lives in a courtroom.
Legal Stakes
Under Texas law, manslaughter is generally a second-degree felony. It carries a potential sentence of two to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, according to the state penal code. Prosecutors must convince a jury that recklessness caused the death to secure that punishment range. Related charges or sentence enhancements, if pursued, could alter the final exposure. The full statutory breakdown is listed in the Texas Penal Code.
What's Next
Separate from the manslaughter case, Neal is also facing potential consequences tied to his earlier deferred adjudication. Court documents indicate he is serving a separate term related to that supervision, which could keep him locked up even if he manages to post bond on the new charge.
Prosecutors are expected to continue pushing their motions in the coming months, and the Herold family says they will be in court for the June setting to see whether the state succeeds in revoking prior deals or proceeds solely on the fresh charges. For now, they say they are not backing down from their demand for answers as the case moves through Travis County’s courts.
