EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — A 33-year-old man was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he admitted to driving recklessly and causing the crash that killed one of the founding members of the Dixie Chicks in Hudspeth County.
According to El Paso District Attorney James Montoya, Domenick Chavez pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the head-on crash that killed 65-year-old Laura Lynch.
The crash happened on Dec. 22, 2023, at around 6 p.m. on US62/180, near mile marker 74 in Hudspeth County.
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Montoya said that as part of the plea agreement, Chavez was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
On the night of the crash, Chavez was driving with a suspended license after it had been revoked due to penalties after two DWI-related convictions in 2014 and 2017.
Montoya added that while Chavez was not driving drunk at the time of the crash, investigators learned that he was driving fast, reaching speeds of 106 to 114 miles per hour.
Investigators also pieced together how the crash happened, saying Chavez was driving a 2022 Dodge Ram pickup truck going west– towards El Paso County– when he tried to pass four vehicles on a two-way undivided highway.
As a result, investigators said that Chavez crashed head-on with Lynch’s 2016 F-150 pickup truck, causing his truck to catch fire and trapping Lynch inside her truck, where she died from the injuries she suffered.
Chavez was taken to the hospital, where he was treated for his injuries, which were described as “non-life-threatening.”
Montoya released the following written statement, noting Lynch’s musical career and lamenting that her death occurred during the holidays:
The death of Ms. Lynch caused profound sadness for her family, the Dell City community, and all those who appreciated her music. It is a loss made more acute by the fact that it happened just days before Christmas. Our office will continue to hold accountable those defendants who choose to drive in an extremely dangerous manner.
KFOX14/CBS4 requested Chavez’s mugshot; however, Montoya’s office said there is no booking photo.
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