Prosecutors in Bowie County have charged a local man with capital murder in the deaths of two boys who died in a collision in DeKalb, Texas, earlier this month.
Zachary Blaise Salazar, 21, was allegedly upset over a disagreement with his pregnant girlfriend and had threatened to wreck his pickup truck on purpose moments before he smashed into a van on U.S. Highway 82 in DeKalb on the night of Jan. 13. Two young boys, Riley Burgess, 7, and James Crowley, 3, were killed in the crash.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Salazar had been arguing with his girlfriend via Facebook Messenger and had threatened he would kill himself or someone else. After the girlfriend blocked Salazar from her account, he allegedly showed up at her residence 45 minutes later.
When made to leave by a member of the girlfriend’s family, Salazar allegedly said, “Fuck it, I’ll go wreck.”
The girlfriend and her family heard sirens a short time later and traveled to the crash scene where they informed members of law enforcement about Salazar’s alleged threats.
Witnesses reported that Salazar was traveling eastbound at a high rate of speed with his vehicle’s bright lights activated. The driver of the van that was hit said he saw the pickup driving into his lane with bright on and at a high rate of speed. He reportedly tried to pull to the side of the road to avoid a collision.
The murder of two or more people in one criminal action or the murder of a person under the age of 10 may result in a capital murder charge in Texas. If convicted, Salazar faces life without the possibility of parole or death by lethal injection.
Salazar is being held in the Bowie County jail. Bail is set at $5 million.
