Teen charged with murder after egg-throwing prank leads to deadly crash killing Houston mother

Teen charged with murder after egg-throwing prank leads to deadly crash killing Houston mother

A Houston mother-of-two was killed in an accident after her car was T-boned by a vehicle being driven by a group of teenagers who were being chased by a man for pranking him.

Forty five-year-old Silvia Zavala died in the accident on New Year's Day after the teens' GMC Acadia SUV ran a red light at 60 mph and crashed into her Ford F-150 pickup.

According to Click2Houston, the accident unfolded at the intersection in the 2000 block of Aldine Westfield Road and Aldine Mail Route at around 2:20 pm. After the crash, both the SUV and the pickup truck toppled into a ditch, and Zavala was declared dead at the scene.

ADVERTISEMENT
Zavala was pronounced dead at the scene (Source: GoFundMe)
Zavala was pronounced dead at the scene (Source: GoFundMe)

The driver, a 14-year-old boy who was not identified, suffered a broken ankle and was hospitalized before later being taken into custody. The vehicle also had two other teenagers — one of whom sustained non-life threatening injuries and the other was uninjured — who were interviewed by the police.

ADVERTISEMENT

The teen revealed to detectives that he and the other boys had been throwing eggs at another driver, who then began chasing their vehicle. He told them that the pursuing man was brandishing a semi-automatic handgun during the chase. He fled the scene following the crash and authorities are on the lookout for him.

Meanwhile, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzales confirmed that the teen had been charged with murder and booked into the county juvenile detention center. A tweet by the sheriff read, "The 14 yo driver has been charged w murder & booked in the county juvenile detention center. He sustained a broken ankle in the crash. The driver of the vehicle that was chasing him has been identified & efforts are being made to interview him [sic]."

ADVERTISEMENT

However, it is unclear whether the other two teens will be charged in the case. Authorities say the man was driving a yellow or gold late-model 1970s Lincoln Continental with a white top. The driver was described as a Hispanic male in his late 20s with a tattoo on his left forearm and elbow. 



 

ADVERTISEMENT

It also emerged that Zavala had been out shopping on New Year's Day when the tragic crash happened. At the accident scene, first responders found a brand new purse still wrapped in its packaging close to the accident spot. It is believed to have been ejected during the crash. 

Zavala leaves behind a 20-year-old daughter and a 22-year-old son.

Her family has created a GoFundMe page to raise funds for her funeral services where she is described as "a mother full of joy and love, bringing light into everyone's lives" who was always "smiling, dancing, and being the life of the party." The page has raised close to $2,000 at the time of writing.

Share this article:

 Houston mother killed car t boned SUV driven teen chased angry driver