Houston Man Charged With Murder After Crash Kills Woman, Injures Toddler

Manuel Neri Mendoza, 37, was arrested and charged with murder in the 496th Criminal District Court after Houston police say his southbound white Chevrolet 2500 ran a red light and struck a red Mitsubishi Mirage about 1:00 a.m. on Feb. 24 at 4400 West Sam Houston Parkway South service road near the Clay Road intersection. Houston police said the Mitsubishi had the right of way and the crash killed the 42-year-old female driver.

Houston Police Department investigators in the Vehicular Crimes Division, including Sergeant R. Dallas and Officer R. Young, described the preliminary sequence as Mendoza’s truck failing to stop at the traffic signal and colliding with the Mitsubishi that was traveling eastbound on Clay Road. The department’s news release says Mendoza attempted to flee the scene and was detained nearby by responding patrol officers.

Houston Fire Department paramedics pronounced the female driver dead at the scene, and the Houston police release says her identity is pending verification by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. The HPD release also notes a booking photo of Mendoza is attached to their news release.

A 3-year-old male passenger in the back seat of the Mitsubishi was restrained and was transported to a nearby hospital. Houston police said the child was treated for minor injuries. Local reporting varies on the child’s condition; ABC13 reported the child “suffered no injuries,” while KPRC reporter Gage Goulding noted the boy “was properly buckled in, which likely made all the difference.”

Officers found Mendoza a short distance from the stalled truck, and ABC13 reported patrol officers located the driver “feet away from the scene after the truck stalled.” Houston police determined Mendoza was impaired at the time of the crash and arrested him at the scene; the department’s release states he was subsequently charged with murder.

Court filing details beyond the single murder charge were not provided in the HPD release. KHOU’s television transcript added that Mendoza “is actually due in court at 7:00,” though that broadcast did not give a date. No toxicology or blood-alcohol results have been released and Houston police have not provided Mendoza’s driving history.

The HPD Vehicular Crimes Division continues to investigate the collision; investigators and the 496th Criminal District Court will be the next public sources for charging documents, toxicology results, and a court calendar. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences must still verify the victim’s identity before that information is released.