HOUSTON – The man charged in the alcohol-related crash that killed a 6-year-old is also connected to the hit-and-run death of a homeless man whose body was found the following day, the Harris County assistant district attorney said.
Blaine Boudreaux was charged with intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault in the crash that killed Josh Medrano, 6.
Investigators say Boudreaux ran a red light and slammed into a Honda Civic at the intersection of Lockwood and Interstate 10 just after 6 p.m. Sunday.
The Honda driver, Cynthia Medrano, suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung. Her son, Josh, was taken to Texas Children's Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Josh's stepfather had to break the news to his mother.
But Josh wasn't Boudreaux's only victim that day, investigators say. Boudreaux had a series of traffic incidents within a three-hour time frame.
According to police, Boudreaux was involved in an accident on Fannin Street in the Medical Center around 3:30 p.m. His black Dodge 1500 pickup truck rear-ended another vehicle, causing damage to his own front bumper, investigators say. An officer ticketed Boudreaux, then allowed him to leave the scene around 4:30 p.m.
According to investigators, Boudreaux continued driving to the 4400 block of Texas Spur 5 near I-45, where he struck and killed a 61-year-old homeless man. He did not stop and fell asleep at the wheel at some point. A passing motorist reported seeing him asleep and honked in order to wake him up.
The victim in that crash has been identified as Leonard Batiste, according to court documents.
"We found the entire bumper and license plate from the pickup truck," Harris County Assistant District Attorney Alison Baimbirdge said. "It was the same license plate number from the first and third crash. A bumper consistent with the make, model year and color of the pickup truck involved in all three crashes."
From there, prosecutors said Boudreaux kept going until he crashed into the Medrano family around 6:10 p.m.
Investigators did not immediately connect him to the homeless man's death because the man's body was not found until the following day. The victim was found lying in a shallow ditch around 3:05 p.m. in southeast Houston. Boudreaux's bumper and license plate were also found in the ditch.
In the death of Batiste, Boudreaux was charged with failure to stop and render aid.
Joseph Rodriguez, Medrano's husband and Joseph's stepfather, learned of the two other accidents and said, "I just couldn't believe this could happen. He hit other people and he kept going and hit the other vehicle and whatnot. It was my wife and her son. That's where it stopped."
More charges could be filed against Boudreaux.