AUSTIN (KXAN) — A truck driver accused of killing at least five people and injuring 11 others in a deadly 18-vehicle pileup crash now faces a new multi-count indictment filed Monday with the Travis County District Clerk’s Office.
According to court documents given to KXAN by the attorney for Solomun Weldekeal-Araya, he faces five counts of manslaughter, along with 17 other aggravated assault charges. All of the charges are second-degree felonies, according to the Travis County District Attorney’s Office.
“Our hearts continue to break for the victims and their families,” said Travis County District Attorney José Garza in a statement Tuesday. “In this case, a group of independent Travis County community members reviewed the evidence and the law and determined that there was probable cause to believe that Mr. Araya’s conduct was unlawful.”
The crash, that involved more than a dozen other vehicles, happened on March 13, 2025, on Interstate 35 near Parmer Road and Howard Lane. Weldekeal-Araya was hauling a load for Amazon at the time.
Originally, he faced charges based on a field sobriety test including intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault. However, Weldekeal-Araya’s attorney told KXAN that a toxicology report showed no drugs or alcohol in his system at the time of the crash.
“When the cops tested Solomun and he wasn’t drunk, they said he was high. When they tested his blood for drugs there was nothing there,” said Bristol Myers, the attorney for Weldekeal-Araya. “Then they wasted taxpayer money to run more and more tests, only to come up empty. This indictment is a desperate attempt to criminalize a tragic accident.”
Gene Anthes, a criminal defense attorney who is not connected to the case has followed it closely.
“Unfortunately, several people died, and I think they in a case like this, when there’s that many fatalities, it’s pretty common for there to be this kind of an indictment,” Anthes said. “In these kind of cases…when an accident occurs, typically what you see is that someone is reckless because they’ve failed to keep a proper lookout, or they’ve failed to control their speed.”
According to Anthes, the burden of proof for charging someone with a crime is low.
“Whereas the burden of proof, of actually proving something beyond a reasonable doubt, that’s a very high burden to meet,” Anthes said. “In these kind of cases when there’s fatalities, it’s very difficult, because the jury wants to hold somebody accountable.”
On top of criminal charges, Weldekeal-Araya faces four civil lawsuits.