Trial For Suspect In Deadly 2014 South By Southwest Crash Set To Begin
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AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — The trial is set to begin for the man accused in the deaths of four people when he smashed into a crowd of South By Southwest festival goers two years ago.
The suspect in the deadly crash, Rashad Owens, is facing 26 separate charges including -- capital murder, murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Owens is set to go on trial Monday in Austin.
Authorities say Owens was intoxicated when he accelerated through a festival crowd in March 2014, killing four people and injuring more than 20 others.
Fort Worth resident Deandre Tatum was among those killed. Tatum, a 2013 Trimble Tech High School graduate, had gone to the festival with his girlfriend, Curtisha Davis. Davis was also seriously injured in the crash, but survived.
The state is not seeking the death penalty. If convicted of capital murder, Owens faces a mandatory life sentence of life in prison with no parole.
Owens also faces 24 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Those offenses will remain pending until after his trial.
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