A man is facing a manslaughter charge after investigators say he blew through a red light at highway speeds and slammed into a 59-year-old woman's SUV, killing her at the scene. Andy Felix, 25, was arrested on a grand jury warrant and booked into the Maricopa County jail on Friday, three months after the July 17 crash that killed Pauline Gray.
A Deadly Morning at Cooper and Merrill
The crash happened just after 10 a.m. on July 17 at the intersection of Cooper Road and Merrill Avenue, according to FOX 10 Phoenix. Gray was reportedly driving her SUV westbound and preparing to turn left onto Cooper Road when Felix, driving a pickup truck hauling a trailer, allegedly ran the red light and struck her vehicle, per KOLD News 13. Investigators believe Felix was traveling northbound at somewhere between 59 and 65 mph at the time of impact, the station reports.
Gray was trapped in her vehicle and had to be pulled out by firefighters, who then pronounced her dead, FOX 10 Phoenix notes. The driver of the second vehicle was not hurt, according to the station's report. A DUI investigation following the crash allegedly turned up signs and symptoms of impairment, Gilbert police said. Bloodwork was submitted for forensic testing.
Manslaughter Charge and Bond
Felix was booked on a reckless-manslaughter charge with bond set at $150,000, the same account states. Under Arizona law, manslaughter is classified as a class 2 felony, according to state statute. The investigation stretched for months between the July crash and Felix's arrest, a gap that underscores how long these cases can take to work through the grand jury process before charges are filed.
A String of Deadly Gilbert Crashes
Gray's death adds to a string of serious crashes that have rattled Gilbert. On September 19, 2025, a 35-year-old driver allegedly struck and killed ride-share driver Nicole Snell, 36, and her passenger, Marisa Jorgenson, 33, near Recker and Ray roads, with police records showing the driver was going 89 to 96 mph in a 45-mph zone, according to ABC15. More than a year later, 32-year-old Celia Yamasaki died after being struck by a vehicle on Colorado Street between Guadalupe Road and San Angelo Street, with investigators suspecting the 43-year-old driver showed signs of impairment, though charges were still pending as of that report from AZFamily.
The spate of fatal crashes comes even as statewide numbers have trended in a more encouraging direction. Crash data from 2025 showed a decrease in traffic fatalities and crashes across Arizona roads, which the Arizona Department of Transportation says marked the third straight year of decline, though the agency has also described the trend elsewhere as a second straight year of decreasing fatalities.
