Trial date set in more than three-year-old drunk driving case

Mariana Campos-Jimenez faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty

SAN ANTONIO – A judge on Wednesday set a trial date in a more than three-year-old intoxication manslaughter case despite another delay.

Mariana Campos-Jimenez is accused of driving drunk, going the wrong way on Loop 1604 and causing a head-on collision in May 2020.

Gabriel Gallegos, 44, was killed as a result of the crash, and Campos-Jimenez was charged with intoxication manslaughter.

Last summer, Campos-Jimenez accepted a plea deal. But when sentencing was expected in September last year, she withdrew that plea.

Campos-Jimenez’s attorney, Gerry Goldstein, is one of the most well-known defense attorneys in the state with decades of experience. At that plea hearing, he said he mistakenly told her she could possibly get probation if she took the deal, which wasn’t correct. Because of that, the 437th District Court Judge Joel Perez had to grant the motion to withdraw the plea, but he ordered the case go to trial immediately.

An evaluation in the fall was also ordered but wasn’t completed until March 2.

Both sides are awaiting the final report from the doctor who did the evaluation, and the defense said more testing could still be needed.

“We’re going to need some time for our experts to review his evaluations,” Goldstein told the judge.

Judge Perez said he wanted everything completed by the next court hearing on April 24 and ordered the trial to begin jury selection on May 20.

Last year, the Gallegos family voiced their frustration to KSAT 12 about the constant delays in the case.

When Campos-Jimenez goes to trial, she faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.


About the Authors
Erica Hernandez headshot

Erica Hernandez is an Emmy award-winning journalist with 15 years of experience in the broadcast news business. Erica has covered a wide array of stories all over Central and South Texas. She's currently the court reporter and cohost of the podcast Texas Crime Stories.

Misael Gomez headshot

Misael started at KSAT-TV as a photojournalist in 1987.

Loading...