14-Year-Old Charged with Murder as Egg-Throwing 'Prank' Goes Wrong
A 14-year-old boy faces a murder charge after the vehicle he was driving killed a 45-year-old woman in a New Year’s Day crash in Houston.
The incident began Tuesday afternoon when the 14-year-old, whose name has not been released, was driving a GMC Acadia SUV along Aldine Mail Route Road. The driver and other juveniles in the vehicle were throwing eggs at passing cars, NBC reported.
The game changed when a driver in one of the cars struck by an egg pursued the vehicle, chasing the juveniles at high speeds.
The driver of what was described as a tan 1970s-era Lincoln Continental with a white leather top showed the juvenile a semi-automatic handgun, the juveniles claimed to police.
When you see these vehicles racing down Aldine Mail Route Road, you should be outraged. There’s no reason this mother should be gone. Family says Silvia Zavala leaves behind a 20 year old daughter & 22 year old son. I pray they find peace. #abc13 #hounews https://t.co/TXozMDRhjN
— Steve Campion (@SteveABC13) January 2, 2019
In their effort to evade the Lincoln, the vehicle of juveniles went through a red light and hit a Ford pickup truck, killing Silvia Zavala, 45, said Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
Killed while visiting family for New Year’s. Silvia Zavala was out running an errand in the Aldine area when she was hit by 14yo who police say was speeding away from another driver after an egging prank. The single mother leaves behind 2 children & 4 grandchildren. pic.twitter.com/KxuuhZPrtx
— Shelley Childers (@shelleyabc13) January 2, 2019
The 14-year-old driver suffered a broken ankle. He is currently in a juvenile detention center.
The driver of the Lincoln did not stop at the scene.
Police later said they have located him and he is cooperating with their investigation.
Okay, so egg throwing is not cool…but a 14 year old throws eggs…a dude responds with a semi-automatic weapon and chases the kids, causing a fatal accident. The kid that threw the eggs gets booked for murder and the guy with the gun…nothing? https://t.co/DOqwrsXEg7
— J Daniel Ford (@jdanielford) January 2, 2019
Gonzalez said Zavala “had just gone shopping based on some debris strewn at scene.”
Jessica Gaspar, Zavala’s daughter, said she’s glad the teen driving the vehicle is facing a murder charge, KHOU reported.
“I feel bad for him. He’s just 14 years old but he took my entire life away from me,” Gaspar said. “Even though he’s 14, he took my mom’s life away. He took it. And she was the only one I had.”
Gaspar said her mom came to Houston to celebrate the New Year and was planning to return home Tuesday.
Zavala’s sister, Fabiola, said the parents of the juvenile bear some responsibility for the accident.
“We don’t wish harm on anyone. No one. But the parents… let’s take care of our kids. Where were those parents of those teens?” she said. “If you know your son is a bad kid, you need to be on top of them. What are they up to? Who are they hanging out with? What are they doing?”
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