Pickup driver who killed east Fort Worth store customer found guilty
A 21-year-old pickup driver was found guilty of manslaughter Friday in the death of a 24-year-old mother who was inside a convenience store when the pickup came crashing through the wall.
Isaac Adams was accused of driving speeds that reached 100 mph until he lost control and crashed into Star Food Mart, 1799 E. Lancaster Ave., about 1:30 p.m. March 31, 2015.
Sylvia Zazueta was killed, and several other people in the store were injured.
The Tarrant County jury also found Adams guilty of two counts of aggravated assault.
Adams faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the manslaughter conviction, his attorney, Cody Cofer said. Sentencing on the other counts would run concurrently, he said.
The punishment phase of the trial is expected to begin Tuesday, state District Judge Ruben Gonzalez said. Cofer said he will ask for probation for his client. But if the jury decides on prison time, Adams could be eligible for parole after serving half of his sentence, Cofer said.
Zazueta’s mother and two sons were waiting in their vehicle outside the store when the pickup blasted into wall, according to testimony. Zazueta died two days before she and her husband were to celebrate their second wedding anniversary.
Adams, now 21, was slightly injured, and was under the influence of a narcotic, according to police. Trace amounts of Xanax and THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, were found in a blood sample.
Court records indicate that Adams, a California resident, did not have a valid driver’s license.
California court records show that Adams was fined more than $1,200 after being cited in August 2013 in Riverside County for speeding and being an unlicensed driver. Adams also had two outstanding warrants from White Settlement for speeding and driving without a license, jail records show.
Mitch Mitchell: 817-390-7752, @mitchmitchel3
This story was originally published August 26, 2016 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Pickup driver who killed east Fort Worth store customer found guilty."