Trial Starting In South By Southwest Fatal Crash Case

A 23-year-old Central Texas man is facing a possible life prison sentence as he heads to trial on multiple murder charges for driving his car into a crowd during last year’s South By Southwest festival in Austin.

Attorneys for Rashad Owens, of Killeen, insist he never intended to hurt anyone in the March 13, 2014, crash. Police say he was fleeing a patrolman and driving down a closed street when he plowed into the crowd, killing four people and injuring more than 20 others.

The Austin American-Statesman reports Monday that court records show the aspiring rapper and father of six had a blood-alcohol level of 0.114, exceeding the legal level of 0.08.

Jurors were selected last week and the trial starting Monday is expected to take about three weeks.