Breaking News: The driver in the fatal Tesla crash, Michael Butler, has been charged with Felony Manslaughter and the investigators are not messing around when it comes to what they believe happened.
The charging document below is worth the read but here are a few highlights I think are worth pointing out and that confirm my findings in the videos test I did in the neighborhood and posted last week.
TLDR summary by the Vehicular Crimes Investigator J. Philipbar:
“Based on (1) the videos of BUTLER and his Tesla before and during the crash, (2) the black box data showing the live activity of the accelerator pedal, steering, and speed before and during the crash, (3) the Google searches demonstrating BUTLER’s recent frustration with the ‘timid’ nature of FSD mode, (4) the absence of any evidence of mechanical failure in the Tesla, and (5) the absence of any medical evidence, despite thorough hospital testing and evaluation, that BUTLER had any seizure, heart attack, or stroke, I have reason to believe and do believe that BUTLER recklessly caused the death of Martha Avila by applying pressure to the accelerator pedal in his Tesla, overriding FSD mode’s speed control, traveling at a speed more than double the speed limit, failing to brake, failing to control speed, driving off the road, driving towards a house, and driving into and through a house, where he struck and killed Avila.”
Case: State of Texas v. Michael David Butler (Cause No. 1970727, Harris County District Court No. 208)
Charge: Felony Manslaughter
Date of Incident: June 19, 2026, ~8:04 PM
Location: 1907 Blooming Park Lane, Katy, Harris County, Texas (residential cul-de-sac)
Defendant: Michael David Butler (driving a blue 2025 Tesla Model 3 Long Range, VIN 5YJ3E1EA1SF987427)
Victim: Martha Avila (elderly female, struck and killed inside her home)
Key investigative findings (drawn directly from dash-cam video, driver-door camera video, vehicle “black box”/airbag control module data, phone data extraction, hospital records, and witness statements from deputies and investigators):
• Butler had been using FSD mode without incident for multiple DoorDash deliveries earlier that evening.
• In the final minutes, while in FSD mode and approaching a left turn, Butler pressed the accelerator pedal (overriding FSD speed control). He continued pressing it progressively to 100% (“pedal to the metal”), causing rapid acceleration straight into the cul-de-sac instead of turning.
• The brake pedal was never pressed in the final minute before impact. No data showed any attempt to steer away from the curb or house.
• No mechanical failure or malfunction was detected in the Tesla.
• Hospital evaluation and testing ruled out seizure, stroke, heart attack, or other medical impairment as the cause. Butler was awake, alert, and coherent after the crash.
• Butler’s phone showed recent Google searches expressing frustration that FSD was “too timid,” “not aggressive enough,” and “FSD is not aggressive enough for city driving.”
@SawyerMerritt @wholemars @DirtyTesLa