In March of 2014, a drunk driver fatally sped through a crowded intersection filled with SXSW festival-goers enjoying the late night festivities around Austin’s 6th Street. Rashad Owens, the 23-year-old driver who was in town as an aspiring rapper, was attempting to flee from cops as he recklessly sped through a DUI checkpoint at a gas station, crashed into traffic barricades and drove the wrong way down a one way street, killing four and injuring more than 23. Bodies reportedly went flying over the runaway vehicle as Owens hit a bicyclist, moped and taxi before crashing onto a sidewalk and demolishing a van.
SXSW Faces Lawsuits After Fatal Car Crash
Now, it appears as though justice has been served. Owens was accused of capital murder and has been sentenced to life in prison with no parole.
Prosecutors argued that Owens was well aware of his actions, intentionally avoiding a traffic stop while pummeling into a major intersection filled with people. The prosecution used the vehicle’s black box to prove that Owens had sped up just before striking his victims, as well as video surveillance from a nearby apartment complex and footage from one of the police cars that revealed he failed to hit the breaks at any point during the ongoing incident.
The defense argued that Owens was unfamiliar with the city. After three hours, the jury came to a unanimous decision, and Owens received a life sentence with no possibility of parole.
[Via USA Today]