HOUSTON — A man is facing a murder charge after police said he caused a deadly crash on the Eastex Freeway over the weekend.
Houston police said Rene M. Guzman-Santos was intoxicated and driving the wrong way when he crashed into Jennifer Rosales' SUV early Sunday morning.
He's charged with murder and intoxication assault. As of Tuesday, Guzman-Santos, 31, was still in the hospital from injuries he sustained in the crash. Rosales, 40, was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to Houston police, Rosales was driving her GMC Arcadia northbound near Aldine Bender Road when Guzman-Santos' Chevrolet Silverado hit her head-on.
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Guzman-Santos and two kids (a 13-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl) who were in his truck were all taken to an area hospital for treatment. They're expected to survive. It's unclear if Guzman-Santos is the father of the children who were in his truck.
Police said he showed several signs of intoxication which led to the charges being filed. They said he will be booked into the Harris County Jail when he's released from the hospital.
Family left in mourning
Rosales' parents said she was heading home from a cousin's party when her SUV was hit.
Pete Rosales and his wife, Mary, spoke to KHOU 11 reporter Jason Miles about their daughter.
"Her smile, just hearing her every day," Mary Rosales said while speaking about what she'll miss the most. "Because I talk to her every day.”
Her parents feared the worst when they saw what looked like Rosales’s damaged vehicle on the news.
"I called her right away when I saw that car and thought, 'No, please don’t let it be my daughter,'" Mary Rosales said. "I’m sorry for whoever’s in it, but don’t let it be my daughter.”
They said they got a call from the sheriff’s office while on the way to their daughter's house.
“I knew it was that, and I said, 'Are you calling me about my Jennifer?'" Mary Rosales said. "Because I’m on the way to go check on her.”
Rosales was a divorced mother of two teenage boys who shared her love of music. Her oldest son plays in the Porter High School band.
"Her boys were her world and she lived for them,” Mary Rosales said.
Her parents said there are plenty of loved ones to help them navigate life without their mother who previously survived cancer.
A GoFundMe account was set up to help pay for Rosales' funeral expenses, with the remaining money going toward her sons.