A man who is accused of being drunk and causing an accident that killed a police officer and injured another in Beaumont has apparently decided to plead guilty to a lower charge.
As trial was set to begin in the Jefferson County Courthouse in the case of 20-year-old Luis Fernando Torres on Monday, the defendant informed the court that he was instead going to plead guilty to Intoxication Manslaughter before State District Judge John Stevens.
Prosecutors say Torres was extremely intoxicated and driving the wrong way on Cardinal Drive in the early morning hours of Sunday, August 9th, 2020 when his vehicle crashed head-on with a Beaumont police vehicle, killing Officer Sheena Powell, and injuring Officer Gabriel Fells.
Torres, if convicted at trial, would have faced up to life in prison. However, with a guilty plea for the lesser charge of Intoxication Manslaughter, Torres now faces a maximum of 30 years in prison at sentencing, which is now scheduled for Monday, May 23rd.
