A rollover crash near Brownsville killed one man in April. Now a grand jury has charged two people tied to that crash. They are Fernando Alejandro Rivera Rojas, 40, and Cynthia Dominique Gonzalez, 20. The crash took place during a chase with Border Patrol.
An indictment means a grand jury looked at the facts. They found enough proof to send the case to trial. It does not mean the two are guilty. A judge or jury still has to decide that.
The crash killed one man. It hurt five other people. Both suspects are due back in a Texas court. But right now they sit in federal jail on a separate case. That mix of state and federal charges is common in border cases. It often slows things down.
The grand jury charged both Rivera and Gonzalez on June 24, 2026. Both face two counts. The charge is smuggling of persons causing serious harm or death. In plain terms, this covers guiding or driving people who cross the border with no papers. It applies when that trip ends in a bad hurt or a death. It is a serious felony under Texas law.
Gonzalez faces two more counts on top of that. She is charged with a crash that hurt someone bad. She is also charged with a crash that caused a death. Court records show she was behind the wheel when it happened.
The crash took place at about 4:30 a.m. on April 12, 2026. Border Patrol agents spotted a car they thought was tied to smuggling near Brownsville. Agents tried to pull it over. Instead, Gonzalez sped off, per a past statement from Border Patrol.
Gonzalez drove a white GMC Yukon during the chase. She lost control. The car rolled along FM 511, agents said. The crash killed Javier Acosta Hernandez.
Five other people got hurt in the crash. Court records name them: Maikelyn Ramirez-Fuentes, Deyby Xavier Pena-Revilla, Jose Gregorio Sibada Polanco, Fabian Chavez-Moreno, and Alexander Jose Parrababire.
When cops asked him, Rivera said he was the "foot guide" for the group. That is per a federal complaint. A foot guide walks a group of migrants as part of a smuggling trip. That link ties Rivera to the smuggling job. Gonzalez was the one who drove.
Crashes like this are not rare near the border. Smugglers often drive fast to dodge agents. Packed cars and high speeds make rollovers common. People inside often have no way to stay safe. This case adds one more name to that list. Javier Acosta Hernandez is now one of many killed in South Texas smuggling crashes.
Both suspects are set for a Thursday court date. That first hearing is where a suspect hears the charges out loud. There, the suspect enters a plea. Most say guilty or not guilty.
Court records suggest that hearing will likely not happen on time. Both Rivera and Gonzalez sit in federal jail right now. They wait on a federal sentence tied to this same case. Until that wraps up, the state case here may have to wait too.
For now, the state charges stand. Both face the two smuggling counts tied to the deadly crash. Gonzalez also carries the extra crash counts since she was driving. No trial date is set yet. El Tejano will keep tracking this case in both state and federal court.
