TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — Editor's note: Above video previously aired following Benjamin Castañeda's death.
A woman pleaded guilty Thursday to intoxication manslaughter for the 2019 death of a 17-year-old boy, the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office said.
Following the guilty plea, Noemi Martinez was sentenced to 10 years in prison by Tarrant County Judge Ruben Gonzalez.
Early Thanksgiving morning in 2019, Martinez was driving her black Chevy Tahoe when she entered an exit ramp near Holiday Lane in North Richland Hills, traveling directly into oncoming traffic.
Martinez struck two other SUVs and a sedan with her Tahoe.
The driver of the sedan, 17-year-old Benjamin Castañeda, was transported to a local hospital where he later died of his injuries. Castañeda’s dog was also inside his vehicle and died at the scene.
Castañeda was a beloved student at North Side High School who played the violin and sang in the school’s mariachi band.
During an interview in 2019, Castañeda’s father told WFAA, “I never in a million years thought my son would die that way. To see that his life was ripped away or taken away, to know that he's not going to be able to cross the aisle to graduate."
The North Side community rallied around the Castañeda family, holding vigil and raising money for funeral costs.
Castañeda’s father took the moment to talk to North Side students about the dangers of drunk driving, encouraging them to think twice before getting behind the wheel.