The wife of a rich Texas trader appeared in court on Wednesday charged with drunken manslaughter after crashing her Porsche into a guy while he was walking down the street with a girlfriend on their first date.
Kristina Chambers, 32, was driving her blue Porsche 911 Carrera at 100 mph through Houston’s Montrose neighbourhood at 2:25 a.m. on April 20.
According to reports, she had been drinking significantly and was four times the legal limit.
Chambers failed to negotiate a curve in the road and collided with Joseph McMullin, 33, who was strolling down it.
McMullin, an audio technician and music lover, was on his first date with Brianna Iturrino, and the two were headed to a late-night doughnut shop when disaster struck.
‘We had gone to karaoke at AvantGarden,’ Iturrino told KHOU. After spending time in the bar, the pair sought out some food.
‘When we got out, the taco truck was closed, but he knew Voodoo would be opened.
‘He asked if I wanted to take my car. I said, ‘Well it’s not that far, we can walk. Fresh air.”
She said they had just left the donut shop when Iturrino said she saw the Porsche coming at them very fast.
She told police she saw a flash and then tried to find McMullin.
Chambers drove for several feet more, before finally crashing into a post.
McMullin, whose body was flung about 30 feet from the wreckage, died at the scene.
‘He really loved music. It was one of the things we bonded over,’ said Iturrino.
‘He said he wouldn’t sing, but he wanted to hear me sing.’
The suspect was travelling in the Porsche with two other persons, a man and a woman; neither is said to have sustained significant injuries, but the guy was unconscious when he was carried from the site.
They have yet to be identified.
Chambers was charged on Monday and is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
She lives in the Montrose neighbourhood with her six-year spouse, portfolio manager Xuan Si, in a $1.5 million property purchased with a $1 million mortgage.
Chambers arrived in the 339th District Court on Wednesday in a wheelchair with her arm in a sling, clearly hurt from the collision.
Chambers injured her leg and collarbone in the crash, according to her lawyer, Mark Thiessen.
Thiessen stated that Chambers is jobless and that her husband is the primary provider for the family.
Chambers’ acts, according to Assistant District Attorney Kelly Marshall, were criminal.
‘She had a lot of alcohol in her system,’ Marshall said, adding that traces of suspected narcotics, including Adderall and cocaine, were also discovered in her handbag.
Chambers told cops she had a drink at 9:30 p.m. but nothing else until the 2:30 a.m. collision.
Judge Te’iva Bell imposed a $50,000 bail on Chambers and barred her from driving until she found work.
Chambers is expected to install a landline at her residence to demonstrate compliance with those criteria.
McMullin’s family paid homage to a devoted uncle, music enthusiast, and gentle spirit.
He was born in Houston and attended Stratford High School before transferring to Houston Community College.
‘Good people are drawn to good people, and Joe had nothing but great people supporting, loving, and cheering him along,’ his obituary states.
‘Life can be hard at times – he never gave up and always did the right things to persevere.
‘He ran half-marathons, paved his own path to vegetarianism, and was secure enough to attend concerts alone, often arriving way too early so he could be front of stage. He lived life so courageously.
‘He was passionate about music, the arts and entertainment, movies, social justice, and most of all, people.
‘You could find Joe at a local record shop, concert event, or theater production multiple times a week. He enjoyed all genres of music and his record collection reflects it.
‘Joe enjoyed food, from trying his hand at new fun baking recipes, to cooking vegetarian dishes, to his love for Taco Bell. Joe also loved a cold Dr Pepper (or two, or three).’
His mother told The Houston Chronicle how she went with him to the Coachella music festival in 2012, for the experience.
‘I didn’t belong at Coachella but there we were,’ she said.
Chambers’ acts, according to Assistant District Attorney Kelly Marshall, were criminal.
‘She had a lot of alcohol in her system,’ Marshall said, adding that traces of suspected narcotics, including Adderall and cocaine, were also discovered in her handbag.
Chambers told cops she had a drink at 9:30 p.m. but nothing else until the 2:30 a.m. collision.
Judge Te’iva Bell imposed a $50,000 bail on Chambers and barred her from driving until she found work.
Chambers is expected to install a landline at her residence to demonstrate compliance with those criteria.
McMullin’s family paid homage to a devoted uncle, music enthusiast, and gentle spirit.
He was born in Houston and attended Stratford High School before transferring to Houston Community College.
