The family of Jessica Medina, 16, is mourning the loss of the San Antonio teenager who was found lying next to a car driven by 18-year-old Steven Medina in the C D Tire Shop parking lot on January 26, 2020, around 3:20 a.m.
Despite Jessica and Steven having the same last name, the family has confirmed that the two were not related and didn’t know each other prior to the night in question. Jessica had started her evening going out with other girls who were her age. The evening ended with Jessica being dragged alongside the car for at least a block.
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The girls told a story of how they had met up with Steven Medina but soon became frightened of his negligent driving. They asked to be let out, which was about a block away from the tire shop where Jessica’s body was found covered in road rash and scrapes.
As the other girls were exiting the car, Jessica became caught in the seat belt and could not free herself. Police later confirmed that her arm and neck had been caught up in the seat belt. Steven Medina then took off while Jessica was still entangled in the seat belt, dragging her body alongside the car.
Police found Medina still inside the car with Jessica’s body lying next to it lifeless. He was passed out in the driver seat and was arrested. His current charge is intoxication manslaughter.
At the current time, Texas is the only state that acknowledges a charge of intoxication manslaughter. Manslaughter requires that the victim in a death was a result of criminal negligence. Intoxication manslaughter is the criminal negligence that occurs when a death is the result of someone being intoxicated.
Intoxication manslaughter is a second-degree felony conviction in Texas and comes with penalties such as incarceration in a prison for up to 20 years and/or a fine of $10,000. In addition to this, anyone convicted of this charge must serve 240 hours of community service with the possibility of an extra 800 hours to be determined at the discretion of the state.
The family of Jessica Medina does not feel that intoxication manslaughter does justice for Jessica and they feel that there is more to the story that they have yet to find out.