DWI hit and run suspect now charged with DUI manslaughter

ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – Odessa’s Alex Bingham, who was injured in a DWI crash Sunday morning, has died, loved ones announced Wednesday morning.

“I can’t deal with the pain right now without feeling angry… that’s the point of it all, just feeling angry because it could have been prevented. He was a husband. He was a father. He was a son. He was someone else’s child, and this happened at the hands of someone reckless. He (Bingham) didn’t make selfish decisions. He was at home with his family and someone did this to him,” said Elena Sanchez, Bingham’s cousin by marriage.

On October 27, at approximately 1:35 a.m., Odessa Police officers were called to the 3700 block of Everglade to investigate the accident. Upon arrival, officers found a seriously injured Bingham lying face down in the road. Bingham was taken to the Hospital Medical Center, where he underwent surgery and was placed on life support; died on Wednesday morning as a result of injuries suffered in the accident.

Here’s what we know about the crash that killed Bingham:

Bingham’s wife said her husband went outside after he heard a loud noise and was struck by a dark Dodge Challenger, which drove away from the scene without stopping.

Investigators followed a trail of skid marks away from the crash site and found the Challenger abandoned in the street from where Bingham was struck. OPD found the Dodge had extensive body damage and was missing its right front wheel; in the car, officers found a cell phone and wallet belonging to Juan Contreras.

A short time later, officers received a call that the driver could be found at a home on East Century; When officers arrived at the home, the driver was gone, but investigators spoke with two women who said they were in the vehicle when it hit Bingham and confirmed Contreras was behind the wheel.

While speaking with witnesses, officers received another call from dispatch reporting that Contreras was at the Kent Kwik gas station on N Grandview and had called 911 to report his car had been stolen.

When investigators arrived at the gas station, they met with Contreras and said he smelled strongly of alcohol and was “extremely agitated.” During an interview with investigators, Contreras reportedly admitted he had been drinking and knew he “hit something” in the Everglade, but at the time he thought he had hit a fence.

Contreras was arrested and booked into the Ector County Law Enforcement Center on one count of intoxication assault resulting in serious bodily injury and one count of accident resulting in great bodily injury, both third-degree felonies. The day after the accident, he was released from custody on a total bail of $30,000, but on October 30 he was arrested again. He now faces an additional charge of DUI manslaughter, which is a second-degree felony.

RELATED: Suspect arrested in DWI crash

It’s a loss that Sanchez said resonated with their close-knit group of family and friends simply because of the person Bingham was – a hard-working husband and father of three who never had a bad word to say about anyone.

“He loved like no one else… you walk in and you were always happy to see him. He (always) had a smile on his face…dancing, laughing…I never saw him nervous. You know, he was always playing with his kids…he was focused on them,” Sanchez said.

If you would like to help Bingham’s family, here is the link: Gofundme Here.

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