El Paso man receives 5-year sentence after driving drunk, killing woman

EL PASO, Texas ( KTSM ) — An El Paso man was sentenced to five years in prison this week after driving drunk and killing one person three years ago on I-10 West, according to court records.

Mario Ernesto Martel, 33, pleaded guilty last week and was sentenced to five years in prison this week as part of his plea deal. He pleaded guilty to one count of intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle and six counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

As we have previously reported, Martel was leaving a quinceanera at around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, and drove the wrong way on I-10 West before colliding head-on with another vehicle.

Court documents state Martel drove his vehicle on the wrong side of the road when it collided with an SUV, killing Mayvel Alexandra Morales, 33, and injuring six other people.

After the crash, Martel was found standing on the side of the road near the Tornillo overpass and police noted that he had watery, bloodshot eyes and spoke with slurred speech, according to court documents.

Martel also told police that he had “two or three beers tops” at the quinceanera. Martell was asked to participate in standardized field sobriety tests, where his pupils were evaluated and he had two scores of 0.135 BAC after performing a breathalyzer test. The legal limit of blood alcohol level in Texas is 0.08 percent, according to court documents.

When asked to provide his driver’s license, Martel provided his GECU debit card. He then told police he had just left the quinceanera, court documents say.

Authorities found individuals in the SUV trying to get out after the collision. Five children were able to exit the vehicle through the back-door windshield with assistance from an El Paso County Sheriff’s deputy, according to court documents.

In the front of the vehicle, authorities found a passenger holding the neck of Morales, who later died due to her injuries. Police say they found her conscious and alert but also pinned inside the vehicle.

Morales was taken to Del Sol Medical Center where she later died. The other passengers were transported to University Medical Center and El Paso Children’s Hospital.

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