Verdict: Jury finds George Alvarez guilty on all counts in manslaughter trial

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The jury has deemed George Alvarez guilty on all 26 counts filed against him.

Alvarez faced both a manslaughter and intoxication manslaughter charge in connection to each of the deaths in the May 7, 2023 crash.

On that May day, Alvarez drove into a crowd of people in front of the Ozanam Center claiming the lives of eight migrants and injuring 10 others.

The intoxication manslaughter charge accuses him of operating a vehicle while intoxicated at the time of the crash, while the manslaughter charge accuses him of disregarding a traffic signal and failing to maintain a single lane, the indictment shows.

In October, Alvarez had entered a plea of not guilty before the charges of intoxication manslaughter were introduced.

On Thursday, a forensic toxicologist took the stand as an expert witness in the case. First responders at the scene also took the stand in this trial, claiming that Alvarez did not smell like alcohol in the moments after the crash.

In day two of the trial his defense argued that Alvarez was not under the influence of any alcohol. However, cocaine was found in his system. The defense argues the bloodwork that indicated a presence of cocaine was ingested multiple days before the crash and was still in Alvarez’s system.

Emotions were running high Thursday as Alvarez's defense pleaded with jurors, asking them to find him not guilty.

Earlier that day, court had been halted after Alvarez began yelling at his own attorneys out of turn. Alvarez expressed frustration toward his representation. Cesar De Leon is serving as Alvarez’s attorney in this case is.

During the reading of the verdict, Alvarez appeared emotionless.

Court will resume at 1 p.m. to start working on the punishment.