How Many Years Can You Get for Intoxication Manslaughter in Houston?
The selected Houston-region records describe Juan David Almanza’s 11-year intoxication-manslaughter term, with a two-year assault term concurrent, and Veronica Rivas’s two concurrent 18-year terms. Concurrent terms are not added to make 13 or 36 years. The sources have different scopes: Almanza’s appellate opinion allocates the counts, while Rivas’s allocation is reported by news coverage. These are separate examples, not a fully qualified citywide range or a release prediction.
Quick Answer
- Reported prosecution clusters: 2
- Reported terms: Almanza 11 years; Rivas two concurrent 18-year terms
- Source-described locations: I-45 in Houston; Gulf Freeway feeder-road crash, with municipal-point qualification incomplete
- System: Texas state prosecutions
Visit the Houston sentence hub and read our methodology and editorial standards.
What Is Intoxication Manslaughter in Texas?
Texas Penal Code §49.08 applies when a person operates a motor vehicle in a public place while intoxicated and, by reason of that intoxication, causes another person’s death by accident or mistake. The basic offense is a second-degree felony. Separate rules can increase punishment in particular circumstances.
Statutory Sentence
Texas Penal Code §12.33 generally sets the imprisonment range for a second-degree felony at 2 to 20 years and permits a fine of up to $10,000. Enhancements, multiple victims, prior convictions, deadly-weapon findings, and consecutive-sentence rules can change the overall case result. This current framework is not a reconstructed historical sentencing rule for the 2018/2019 incidents, and a deadly-weapon parole finding is not itself an extra imposed prison term.
Observed Houston Outcomes
| Case | Source-described conduct | Disposition | Reported count and concurrency scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Juan David Almanza | Wrong-way collision on Interstate 45 in Houston | Jury convictions for intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault | 11-year manslaughter term; two-year assault concurrent; June 16, 2026 appellate affirmance, not proof that all later review was exhausted |
| Veronica Rivas | Reported Gulf Freeway feeder-road crash in February 2018; independent incorporated-city point unverified | Reported plea; original judgment not inspected | Two concurrent 18-year terms, according to the July 12, 2019 Chronicle report; not 36 years |
Case Sources
Almanza: The June 16, 2026 court opinion, printed pages 1–2 and 8, reports the Houston I-45 crash, separately allocated concurrent terms and affirmance. It is a court-text copy hosted by Justia. Higher-review disposition has not been independently verified.
Rivas: KPRC’s sentencing report gives the plea and reported punishment; the Chronicle report specifies two concurrent terms. Neither is a direct original-judgment inspection.
Methodology
Two crash prosecutions are described; Rivas’s two victim counts are one prosecution. News and court copies do not create additional independent cases. Count terms and concurrent punishment are kept separate. Source-described Houston-region roads or a Houston dateline are not independent municipal-point certification; exhaustive later-docket qualification remains incomplete. Relevant court and news passages were actually read September 28, 2026.
Sources
Disclaimer
General information only, not legal advice.