GRIMES CO. MAN SENTENCED AFTER HOME BURGLARY LEADS TO DEADLY COLLISION

  

A Grimes County man pleaded guilty on Wednesday and was sentenced to prison after a fatal crash last year that took place after a home burglary.

61-year-old Raul Armando Bonilla received the maximum of 20 years in prison for Intoxication Manslaughter and Burglary of a Habitation.  Both offenses are second degree felonies and carry a punishment range of 2 to 20 years in prison.

According to the Grimes County District Attorney’s Office, the case began when the Grimes County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported burglary on April 27, 2024, after the victim arrived home to find her car keys and her white Honda Accord gone.

The same day, a major accident occurred on Highway 90 near Anderson.  Investigators determined that Bonilla, who was driving a white Honda Accord, struck another vehicle and caused it to travel into oncoming traffic, leading to a head-on collision.  One of the drivers involved was killed, while another suffered serious injuries.

Officials linked the burglary and the crash because of the Honda Accord, and they discovered that Bonilla was a neighbor to the burglary victim.  Bonilla later confessed to law enforcement that he committed the burglary and vehicle theft and had consumed alcohol and cocaine before driving. 

Grimes County District Attorney Andria Bender said, “This is a sad case with a loss of life and severe injuries to one of the victims because of poor decisions made by the defendant.”  She said the plea bargain was made with the agreement of the victims involved and that she hopes this sentence gives them closure.