Image: Tesla
A Richmond man faces felony manslaughter charges after investigators say he overrode his Tesla’s automated system and accelerated to high speeds before crashing into a Texas home, killing a woman inside.
Michael David Butler, 44, was driving a 2025 Tesla Model 3 on June 19 when the vehicle slammed through the brick exterior of a home in Katy. Martha Avila, who was inside the residence at the time, suffered fatal injuries and later died at the hospital.
According to court documents obtained by Covering Katy, Butler told paramedics that he had activated Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) mode while making DoorDash deliveries but passed out or became distracted by his navigation screen just before the crash. However, medical evaluations at the hospital found absolutely no evidence of a medical emergency, such as a stroke or seizure, and tests came back clean for alcohol and drugs.
Instead, investigators who analysed the vehicle’s black box data discovered that Butler allegedly took manual control of the vehicle’s speed. The data shows he pressed the accelerator to the floor for about six seconds, overriding the FSD system’s built-in speed limits. The car reached 73 mph, more than double the residential limit, before launching over a curb and into the house. No braking was detected in the final minute before impact.
Digital forensics also revealed a history of frustration with the vehicle’s autopilot software. In the weeks leading up to the tragedy, Butler had conducted several online searches on his phone, including “Tesla fsd not aggressive enough 2026,” “FSD is not aggressive enough for city driving,” and “Tesla fsd too timid.” Prosecutors are using these searches to show he intentionally forced the vehicle to travel at dangerous speeds.
Our hearts go out to the Avila family as this heartbreaking case serves as a stark reminder that drivers remain fully responsible for their vehicles, regardless of the technology onboard. Butler is currently being held in the Harris County Jail on a $150,000 bond.
So despite legacy media reporting it was FSD at fault, that turned out to be totally false, as what Tesla had stated before.
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