Kristina Chambers faces charges in a drunken crash that killed Joseph McMullin on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, in Houston. (Chambers’ mugshot from Houston Police Department, McMullin’s photo from his obituary; crash scene photo from CBS Houston affiliate KHOU 11)
A 32-year-old woman is accused of driving a Porsche 911 Carrera extremely drunk at 100 mph, killing a man walking on a sidewalk with his date leaving a donut shop in Houston.
Kristina Chambers, who reportedly had a blood alcohol content nearly four times the legal limit, was charged with intoxication manslaughter in the crash that killed Joseph McMullin, 33, police said.
The incident happened about 2:30 a.m. on April 19 when Chambers was speeding in a blue Porsche 911 Carrera, police said. The car struck a curb, causing it to leave the roadway and hit McMullin on the sidewalk before it stopped when it hit a pole, police said. McMullin died at the scene. Chambers and two passengers in the Porsche were hospitalized. Chambers was booked into jail on Monday.
The suspect’s blood alcohol level was four times the legal limit, according to court documents obtained by ABC Houston affiliate KTRK.
Family members recalled their son as a lover of music who surrounded himself with friends.
“As a mother with two adult sons, you want them to find happiness in life,” his mother, Lynn McMullin, told the Houston Chronicle. “He would want us to be together and be brave.”
Chambers was ordered to remain in custody on $50,000 bond in a court hearing on Wednesday. She appeared in a wheelchair, her leg in a cast and her arm in a sling.
Chambers’ defense attorney Mark Thiessen said his client, who he said broke her leg and clavicle, was not guilty and blamed poor road conditions, the Chronicle reported.
“We are going to get all the evidence in discovery and properly look at whether this was a crime or should just be a civil lawsuit,” Thiessen said, the Chronicle reported.
Kelly Marshall, a Harris County District Attorney’s Office prosecutor, told the Chronicle this was a crime.
“This is about reportedly a crime being committed, that his defendant was driving while intoxicated and killed their loved one,” she said, the Chronicle reported.
Briana Iturrino, the woman on the date, told KTRK she and McMullin had gone to karaoke and had been walking out of a Voodoo Doughnuts shop when she saw the Porsche quickly approaching.
“I felt something graze my hip. I don’t know whether it was the car grazing my hip or Joe’s foot as he flew by. Immediately, I was like, ‘Where’s Joe?’” Iturrino said.
A 911 dispatcher asked her to perform CPR until paramedics arrived, she said.
In a Facebook post, she said, “I barely got to know him, but Joe was such a great guy.”
McMullen, who grew up in Galveston, Texas, was described as a dedicated team member as an administrative specialist in the business development group at KBR, his obituary said.
“While Joe loved to work, what he did for work was not solely what defined him,” the obituary read. “Whether meeting new people, attending music events, furthering his education, or helping others — Joe was viewed by all as a brave, kind, and compassionate person in their life. He was a beloved son, loving brother, proud uncle, and the most loyal friend.”
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