FORT WORTH, Texas — The five victims of a deadly Fort Worth crash on Interstate 35W were found burned beyond recognition, while the suspect accused of drunk driving had several beer bottles inside his car, according to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by WFAA on Thursday.
Eduardo Gonzalez, 19, faces five counts of intoxication manslaughter in the crash, which happened early on the morning of Aug. 19 on I-35W near Seminary Drive, police said.
Willie Gunn, his girlfriend Amber Hopewell and her three young children died in the crash, officials said. Gunn and Hopewell were driving for DoorDash when the crash happened, family said.
Police said Gonzalez was driving a Chevrolet Camaro north on I-35W when he crashed into the back of the victims' sedan, causing the sedan to catch on fire. All five people in the sedan died, police said.
Gonzalez was located by police at the scene of the crash and taken to a hospital, according to the affidavit.
A witness who stopped to help Gonzalez out of his car had pointed police in Gonzalez's direction at the scene, the affidavit said. When an officer approached him, he was getting treatment inside a MedStar ambulance.
The officer asked him what happened, and Gonzalez said he had stopped on the side of the highway because he wasn't feeling good, the affidavit said.
Gonzalez told the officer that he drank some water because he thought he was going to throw up, according to the affidavit. He said he pulled over because he didn't want to crash, the affidavit said.
MedStar took Gonzalez to the hospital, and the officer went over to Gonzalez's Camaro. Inside the car the officer found three Modelo beer bottles in the back seat and a Modelo box, the affidavit said.
At the hospital, the officer asked Gonzalez about the damage to his vehicle, and he said there was no damage, according to the affidavit. Gonzalez "then became uncooperative," the affidavit said.
The officer asked Gonzalez if he knew he had been in a crash, and he said he did, according to the affidavit.
The officer noted in the affidavit that Gonzalez had "red, watery eyes," slurred speech and an odor of alcohol on his breath. While Gonzalez described his intoxication level to the officer as a 1 out of 10, the affidavit said, the officer found him to be drunk. Gonzalez's blood-alcohol level was not noted in the affidavit.
Gonzalez was booked into the Tarrant County Jail but is now out on bond.
He posted bond of $150,000 on each of the five charges and was released from the Tarrant County Jail on Aug. 23, according to court documents.
He was ordered to wear an alcohol monitor on his ankle and abstain from illegal drug use, according to his bond conditions listed in court records.
According to the district court's website, Tarrant County judges make individualized assessments using five factors to release people, including their ability to pay, the nature of the charge, and community safety.
WFAA reached out to Magistrate Brooke Panuthos Monday afternoon to learn more about her assessments to grant conditional driving privileges to Gonzalez but has not heard back from her.