Overview
- Domenick Chavez, 33, pleaded guilty to manslaughter this week under a plea deal that results in a 15-year prison sentence.
- Investigators say he tried to pass four vehicles on US 62/180 in Hudspeth County when he collided head-on with Lynch’s truck.
- Alcohol or drugs were not factors, but Chavez was driving on a suspended license stemming from prior DWI-related convictions in 2014 and 2017.
- Lynch, 65, was trapped in her vehicle and died at the scene, while Chavez’s truck caught fire and he suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
- After a June 2024 indictment, the plea and sentencing close the criminal case as the district attorney emphasized accountability for reckless driving.