Trial Begins In SXSW Crash

Four were killed and more than 20 injured when a speeding car, allegedly driving by Owens, plowed into a street crowd during the annual festival and conference.

Owens could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted of the most serious charges in addition to murder and 24 counts of aggravated assault. Officer Michael Hankemeier, who was working security during SXSW, testified he never saw brake lights on the car.

People were screaming and trying to get out of the way, Hankemeier said, adding that the impact of the collision hurled a woman in a red dress into the air nearly as high as overhead utility lines. “That was the one that sticks out most in my mind,” the officer said.

Another witness testified she saw a car turn the wrong way onto the one-way street and flashed her truck’s headlights at it and blew its horn. Owens’ lawyers insist he never intended to hurt anyone.

The Austin American-Statesman reported 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. The trial is expected to last up to three weeks.