BELLVILLE WOMAN SENTENCED TO 30 YEARS FOR INTOXICATION MANSLAUGHTER, INTOXICATION ASSAULT

  

A Bellville woman was sentenced this week after pleading guilty to Intoxication Manslaughter and two counts of Intoxication Assault in connection to a fatal crash over two years ago.

52-year-old Jill McGinty was indicted for causing a crash on Highway 159, about 1.5 miles east of Bellville, at 2:30 a.m. on July 17, 2022.  According to the Austin County District Attorney’s Office, she was scheduled for trial on January 10^th, but accepted a plea offer on the last pretrial setting before trial.  She was sentenced on Monday to 30 years in prison before Judge Jeff Steinhauser in 155^th Judicial District Court.

The District Attorney’s Office says McGinty was under the influence of prescription medication when she crossed the center lane of the roadway and struck another vehicle head-on, killing 34-year-old Elia Guerrero of Bellville and seriously injuring two others.  McGinty also received serious injuries in the crash.

District Attorney Travis Koehn thanked the DPS troopers, Bellville police officers and Austin County Sheriff’s deputies who conducted the investigation in this matter.  First Assistant District Attorney Brandy Robinson, the lead prosecutor on the case, also thanked the first responders, fire department members and medics who rendered aid the night of the crash, saying their response saved lives.

Robinson said there have been many fatal crashes on Highway 159 between Bellville and Hempstead in the past two years and cautioned the public to remain vigilant.  She said, “With this prison sentence, we can at least be confident that we have one less intoxicated person driving on Austin County roadways who will instead be serving time behind bars.”