Pharr woman who killed Mercedes High School 12th grader in fiery crash sentenced

EDINBURG – A 29-year-old Pharr woman has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for participating in an alcohol-fueled chase in Progreso in 2022 that ended in a serious crash in Weslaco that left a 12th-grader at Mercedes High School dead shortly before her graduation.

Daena Nicole Gonzalez pleaded guilty on Wednesday to murder, evading arrest and manslaughter while intoxicated.

The crash occurred on April 30, 2022.

Gonzalez crashed into a vehicle driven by 18-year-old Jaime Garcia Jr., who was on his way to visit friends. Garcia, who was about to graduate from high school, had joined the U.S. Marines, Weslaco Police Chief Joel Rivera said at the time.

According to police, her speedometer remained at 90 miles per hour after the vehicle was recovered at the time of the accident.

Garcia was trapped in the vehicle, which burst into flames almost instantly, witnesses said at the time.

A preliminary autopsy report found that Garcia died of “severe burns and charring.”

The deadly chain of events began that day – a Saturday – at 7:16 p.m., when someone called the Mid-Valley Communications Center to report that a woman in a blue Ford Explorer was vomiting at a Stripes convenience store on the corner of Military Highway and FM 1015 in Progreso.

As authorities prepared their response, Gonzalez left the gas station.

At that moment, Progreso Police Chief Cesar Solis stopped Gonzalez on FM 1015, south of Baker Road.

“Chief Solis noticed several traffic violations – running red lights and speeding. He initiated a traffic stop. The driver complied and pulled over,” Rivera said at the time.

Solis noticed signs of intoxication and ordered Gonzalez to exit her vehicle and requested backup from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

At some point during a breathalyzer test that Gonzalez was unable to perform, she got in her car and drove off.

The accident ended in Weslaco, where Gonzalez crashed into the rear of Garcia’s vehicle at a red light.

The investigation revealed that Gonzalez had been drinking in Nuevo Progreso before the pursuit.

After the accident, she was taken to a hospital to be treated for her injuries. After her release, she was taken to the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center, where she was held on a total bail of $575,000.