A San Antonio man has been sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty in a crash that killed a Georgetown pedestrian, closing a case that prosecutors say started with a high-speed run through a busy construction zone and ended with a man dead on the roadside.
Kevonte Lamont McConnell Hawkins, 33, entered a guilty plea on April 16 and received a seven-year sentence last week in Williamson County, according to KEYE. Investigators said Hawkins was driving 94 miles per hour in a 45-mile-per-hour construction zone on the I-35 southbound frontage road near Williams Drive on Dec. 1, 2023, when he struck 30-year-old pedestrian Colter Davis-Nelson. The impact reportedly threw Davis-Nelson about 300 feet, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick called it “the direct result of a conscious and repeated disregard for the safety of others,” according to KEYE.
Crash scene and evidence
From the beginning, investigators said the physical evidence told a different story than Hawkins did. Security footage and data from his truck contradicted his initial claim that he was traveling around 60 to 65 miles per hour. Instead, they calculated his speed between roughly 94 and 99 miles per hour in the seconds before the collision, with officers noting that his windshield and front windows were so heavily tinted they “significantly impaired” visibility, as reported by the Austin American-Statesman and republished by AOL.
According to the affidavit, Hawkins told officers he had added extra tint because of an eye condition and later said he did not notice his speed because his music was “turned up.” Prosecutors also pointed out that he had been cited months earlier for speeding in the same construction zone, a detail they said underscored how avoidable the fatal crash was.
Prior arrests and street takeovers
Hawkins’ history behind the wheel also drew attention. His driving record and online videos gave investigators a look at what they described as a pattern of risky behavior. He had previously been arrested in connection with Austin “street takeover” events in February 2023 and faced charges that included obstructing a highway, engaging in organized crime, deadly conduct and reckless driving, as we earlier reported in Man charged with manslaughter. That history, paired with the speed evidence and the illegal tint, formed the backbone of the case that led to his plea deal. The Williamson County District Attorney’s Office released a booking photo tied to the arrest.
Legal context
Under Texas law, manslaughter is a second-degree felony that can carry anywhere from two to 20 years in prison. Hawkins’ seven-year sentence falls squarely within that range, according to Texas Penal Code § 19.04. Prosecutors said the combination of extreme speed in a construction zone and an illegally tinted windshield was central both to their theory of the case and to the ultimate plea agreement.
With the plea, the criminal case against Hawkins is now closed. For friends and family of Colter Davis-Nelson, though, the loss remains raw. The deadly collision serves as a grim reminder that a few seconds of reckless driving on a familiar road can be more than a traffic mistake, it can be a life-or-death decision.
