A Helotes man received a 30-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to the intoxication manslaughter deaths of two motorists in a January 2025 head-on crash.
Robert Delmon Gray, 57, was sentenced to 30 years in prison by 451st state District Court Judge Kirsten Cohoon March 30 in connection with a fiery collision on Texas 46 that killed Phillip “Mickey” Pena and his passenger, Marcia Kay Larochelle.
First responders on the scene said Gray appeared “confused, disoriented sweaty and visibly impaired,” according to a news release.
Additional investigation by law enforcement revealed Gray was intoxicated by methamphetamine as well as Delta-9 and Delta-8 THC, according to court records.
Information provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety indicated Pena’s black Mazda CX-5 was traveling westbound on 46 about 3:30 p.m. Jan. 5, 2025, when an eastbound white 2006 Ford F-750 septic truck driven by Gray veered into the other lane, striking the Mazda.
The car burst into flames and exploded with the driver trapped inside, investigators said.
Intoxication manslaughter is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years behind bars, prosecutors said. However, in this case the state was able to exceed the 20-year maximum and secure a 30-year sentence by using a prior felony conviction to enhance the range of punishment, officials said.
Gray will have to serve at least half of his sentence before he is eligible for parole, prosecutors said.
The location of the accident has been the site of other fatalities in recent years, according to investigators. The roadway curves to the right and is marked with a 35-mph advisory speed.
Video evidence and eyewitnesses confirmed that Gray failed to maintain his lane and crossed the double- yellow center stripes, before driving into the westbound lane, according to court documents.
According to the investigation, the impact forced the victims’ vehicle backward off the roadway, where it caught fire. Gray’s vehicle continued off the roadway without braking, crashed through a fence on adjoining private property and struck a tree.
Pena was pronounced dead at the scene while Larochelle succumbed to her injuries in the hospital, authorities said.
The case was prosecuted by assistant district attorneys Alessandra Deike and Derly Chapa, with assistance from District Attorney Chief Investigator Billy Hunt, Crime Analyst Investigator Kristal Reser and Victim Assistance Coordinator Liz Jimenez.
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