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Former Missouri City Officer Gets 15 Years for 2024 Crash That Killed 3

Jurors applied a public-servant enhancement that made the assault counts first-degree felonies.

Overview

  • Blademir Viveros was sentenced to 15 years in prison, with identical terms for each of the three victims to run at the same time after hours of jury deliberation.
  • Earlier in the week, a jury convicted him of three counts of aggravated assault by a public servant with a deadly weapon, which carries steeper penalties than manslaughter.
  • Investigators said he was driving about 107 mph to a robbery call without lights or a siren when his police SUV hit a car on Cartwright Road, killing Mason Stewart and his mother Angela at the scene.
  • Michael Hawkins, who was in Viveros' back seat without handcuffs or a seatbelt, was paralyzed in the crash and died months later from his injuries.
  • During the punishment phase, 24 witnesses described the victims and Viveros' character, and prosecutors stressed the tactics at issue, including high-speed responses without lights or sirens and how detainees are restrained.