First responders on the scene said Robert Delmon Gray seemed “confused, disoriented, sweaty and visibly impaired.”
SAN ANTONIO — A Helotes man has plead guilty to a 2025 intoxication manslaughter charge, according to the Kendall County criminal district attorney.
57-year-old Robert Delmon Gray was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the deadly crash that happened on Jan. 5, 2025 at around 3:35 p.m.
Officials say Gray was driving a white 2006 Ford F-750 septic tank truck eastbound on State Highway 46 West near mile marker 478 in Kendall County. The roadway curves to the right at this location and has a 35 MPH speed limit.
Witnesses along with video surveillance confirmed that Gray failed to stay in his lane, crossing the double yellow lines and driving into the westbound lane, hitting a black vehicle.
The victims’ vehicle was forced backwards off the road, becoming fully engulfed in flames.
Gray’s vehicle also ran off the road without apparent braking, crashing through a fence on private property, eventually hitting a tree, the attorney says.
The driver of the victims’ vehicle was Phillip “Mickey” Pena, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The passenger was Marcia Kay Larochelle, who was taken to a San Antonio hospital where she later died due to her injuries.
First responders on the scene said Gray seemed “confused, disoriented, sweaty and visibly impaired.” It was eventually revealed that he was intoxicated with methamphetamine along with Delta-9 and Delta-8 THC. Officials believe his state caused the crash.
Intoxication manslaughter is a second-degree felony that has a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, the attorney says. However, the state was able to able to exceed the maximum and secure a 30-year sentence by using a prior felony conviction to “enhance the range of punishment.” Gray will have to serve at least half of the sentence before being eligible for parole.