Texas dad found innocent in killing of drunk driver
ANGLETON, Texas — A Texas jury on Wednesday found a father not guilty of shooting dead a suspected drunk driver who hit and killed his two sons while they pushed a truck down a country road late at night.
David Barajas, 32, had been charged with murdering Jose Banda, 20, in December 2012, after he plowed into Barajas’ sons David Jr, 12, and Caleb, 11, after a night of drinking.
Samuel Cammack, Barajas’ attorney, told jurors there was no evidence linking him to the crime and the father did not leave his dying children by the side of a road to hunt down Banda.
Prosecutors said after the boys were hit, Barajas returned to his house about 100 yards away, got a gun and then went to shoot Banda dead in the incident that took place in a suburb south of Houston.
In closing arguments, prosecutors told jurors the United States is governed by laws, not vigilantism.
“Your emotions and how you feel are not apart of this. We don’t let sympathies get in the way of a legal analysis,” said Brian Hrach, a state prosecutor.
