14-year-old drunk driver kills 67-year-old cyclist with mom's approval

A Texas woman is going to serve time after letting her intoxicated 14-year-old son drive her car, resulting in the death of a 67-year-old cyclist.

Erika Martinez-Ramirez was found guilty on Tuesday of child endangerment and given a two-year sentence, as stated by the McLennan County District Attorney's Office. 

Prosecutors explained the event happened on July 14, 2024, in Bellmead, a location near Waco. 

At approximately 1:30am, Martinez-Ramirez allowed her son to use her keys to drive and fetch some clothes from a nearby home with his 10-year-old sister.

The teen was behind the wheel when he collided with a cyclist, who was identified as Dennis Welch by a local CBS affiliate KWTX. 

His vehicle then crashed into a house, resulting in Welch's death at the scene. The 10-year-old sustained minor injuries.

Prosecutors noted it wasn’t his first offense — the underage driver was previously stopped by police on December 12, 2023, with several minors in his mother's car. Officers reprimanded Martinez-Ramirez for letting her son drive.

A fortnight later, the teen was again driving when he hit another vehicle and fled. The police informed Martinez-Ramirez, reiterating that it was impermissible for her son to drive, according to prosecutors.

The authorities have withheld details about the legal proceedings concerning the boy due to his age. 

Prosecutors clarified they didn’t charge Martinez-Ramirez with manslaughter as there was no evidence proving she knew her son had been drinking before the crash. 

She initially faced a criminally negligent homicide charge but was instead charged with child endangerment because both offenses have equivalent penalties, and the latter is simpler to substantiate, according to the district attorney.

Assistant district attorneys Michaelina Yearty and Duncan Widmann handled the case.

"It's uncommon for parents to face prosecution for their children's misdeeds, but this mother's dangerous and persistent behavior justified both the charges and the harshest sentence possible," they expressed in a statement.