The 50-year-old driver of the GMC Yukon that crashed into and killed two pedestrians on May 7 is expected to be charged with two felony counts of first-degree murder.
Carlos C. Garcia, of the 4200 block of Winters Street, remains hospitalized in stable condition at University Medical Center of El Paso. The formal charges are pending service of a warrant or grand jury indictment.
The Sunday, May 7, crash on Valley View Avenue killed 29-year-old Denise Chavez and 36-year-old Arturo Cordova.
At about 4 a.m. on May 7 police were dispatched to the crash at the intersection of Valley View Avenue and Winters Street. Officers arrived to find Chavez and Cordova unresponsive. Both were pronounced dead on scene. Garcia sustained critical injuries and was airlifted to UMC.
Las Cruces Police investigators learned that Chavez and Cordova, who were cousins, were with family and friends at a home on the 4100 block of Calle Americana. On Saturday evening, the group was watching a boxing match on TV and continued their revelry into the early-morning hours. At about 3 a.m., Garcia arrived at the home and claimed he was looking for a friend. The group, although they did not know Garcia, welcomed him and allowed him to stay at the party.
Investigators learned that, after about 45 minutes, Garcia was asked to leave when he acted inappropriately toward Chavez. While leaving, Garcia chugged a half bottle of vodka and took a few beers from the home. Chavez, Cordova and another relative followed Garcia who got into his gold Yukon and began taunting the partygoers by revving the engine, and driving up and down the roadway.
The partygoers followed Garcia onto Valley View and watched as the Yukon sped east toward North Las Cruces Park and then west past the group. Garcia made another U-turn on Valley View and sped east toward the group. Investigators determined that the Yukon jumped the curb and struck Chavez and Cordova prior to slamming into a rock wall at the intersection of Valley View and Winters.
Investigators learned from the vehicle’s Crash Data Recorder that the Yukon was traveling 53 mph just one second prior to the crash. The data also indicated that Garcia was not wearing a seatbelt and never applied brakes prior to the crash.
Information from Las Cruces Police