Tyler man charged with manslaughter for October wreck on Loop 323

TYLER — A Tyler man was charged with manslaughter on Friday stemming from an October wreck on Loop 323. According to our news partner KETK, Jose Esparza, 23, has been charged with the death of a passenger in his car after a high-speed, three-car wreck in front of Mercados restaurant on October 14. According to a warrant obtained by KETK News, police were called to the scene at 8:45 p.m. Police determined that Esparza was driving westbound in a black corvette with a passenger named Pablo Avila. Esparza ran into the back of a white F250 at “a high rate of speed.” The F250 came to stop on the median while Esparza’s Corvette went over it and slammed into a white Fusion that was driving in the opposite direction.

The warrant states that the Corvette “was almost unrecognizable due to the severity of the damage.” While Esparza had minor injuries, Avila was taken to UT Health in critical condition. He died two days later. The document states that Esparza was not intoxicated at the time of the wreck. The Corvette’s computer showed that he was driving at 113 MPH when he slammed on his brakes. A Tyler police detective wrote that at that speed, it would have taken more than 600 feet for the car to come to a full stop. Esparza was arrested Friday, November 5 and he posted a $10,000 bond. His first court date has not yet been set. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.