Edinburg man sentenced to 20 years for fatal 2021 Christmas crash

Otis Charles Barron

A 32-year-old Edinburg man has been convicted after pleading guilty to killing a woman and injuring her two passengers in a wrong-way crash on Christmas 2021.

On Monday, Assistant District Attorney Michelle Puig stated that Otis Charles Barron pleaded guilty to one count of intoxicated manslaughter with a vehicle and two counts of intoxicated assault with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury. He was sentenced to 20 years on each count and the time will run concurrently.

Puig said Barron’s charges were enhanced due to previous convictions. Barron has been convicted of theft of property, possession, assault of a public servant and more, according to court records.

Barron was arrested after killing 65-year-old Sylvia Martinez De Garza on Dec. 25, 2021 and injuring her two passengers during a head-on crash.

The crash occurred at 2:28 a.m. in the 400 block of West Trenton Road after Barron’s black 2011 Nissan Titan crossed into the oncoming lane and crashed into Martinez’s Nissan Sentra, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Police say Barron left the scene of the crash and was arrested at his residence around 7:50 a.m. after officers staked out his residence located in the 1700 block of N. McColl Road.

Once Barron arrived home, police say he was covered in dry mud and that his clothing was disorderly.

According to investigators, Barron voluntarily stated that he was involved in the crash and that he had the keys to the Titan that he left at the scene, adding that he walked home after walking to the hospital for medical attention.

The affidavit adds that Barron had red bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and smelled of alcohol.

The document went on to state that Barron asked whether he killed someone once he was at the Edinburg police station.

“Officer Hernandez will testify that once Otis arrived at the Edinburg Police Department, he began to escort him to the intoxilyzer room to conduct his investigation and Otis then asked Hernandez if he had killed someone due to the investigators removing his clothing during the booking process,” the affidavit said.

The post Edinburg man sentenced to 20 years for fatal 2021 Christmas crash appeared first on MyRGV.com.