Michael Butler Held on $150,000 Bond in Tesla Crash That Killed 76-Year-Old Katy Woman
Updated
Updated · KTRK-TV · Jul 2
Michael Butler Held on $150,000 Bond in Tesla Crash That Killed 76-Year-Old Katy Woman
3 articles · Updated · KTRK-TV · Jul 2
Summary
$150,000 bond was set Thursday for 44-year-old Michael Butler, who remains in Harris County jail on a manslaughter charge after a June 19 Tesla crash killed 76-year-old Martha Avila in her Katy home.
Crash data and phone records led investigators to allege Butler overrode full self-driving, pressed the accelerator instead of making a left turn, rolled through a stop sign and sent the Tesla airborne into the house at 73 mph.
Court records say Butler told investigators he had been using self-driving mode and then passed out, but tests found no seizure, stroke, heart attack, alcohol, street drugs or mechanical problems, and no braking or evasive steering before impact.
Google searches including "Tesla FSD not aggressive enough 2026" and prior use of full self-driving on multiple DoorDash stops are now part of the case, while Avila's family has already sued Butler and Tesla; he is due back in court Monday.