EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A significant legal development took place on Friday, October 17, as the case against Christina Escobedo Arriaga was dismissed in Las Cruces District Court. Arriaga, who was charged in a DWI crash that killed two children, including one of her own, is no longer facing prosecution after the court ruled to drop the case.
New Mexico court records show that charges were recently dismissed against Christina Escobedo-Arriaga, 33, of Mesilla Park, who was facing two counts of homicide by vehicle, two counts of intentional abuse of a child resulting in death, great bodily harm while driving under the influence, and other related charges.
These charges stemmed from a tragic crash that New Mexico State Police reported that Escobedo-Arriaga crashed a vehicle into an electric pole and chain-linked fence earlier this year near 8100 New Mexico Highway 478 in Vado.
The crash reportedly threw two children from the vehicle, who died at the scene. The children who were killed were 15 and 12 years old, and a passenger was also injured, who is also 15 years old.
New Mexico State Police later confirmed the 12-year-old girl who died was Escobedo-Arriaga’s daughter. The other child who died in the crash was identified as Steven. The relationship between Escobedo-Arriaga and Steven, as well as the surviving 15-year-old, has not been publicly released by investigators.
State Police noted that the surviving teen had been wearing a seatbelt, while the other passengers did not appear to have been properly restrained.
Escobedo-Arriaga was treated for her injuries at MountainView Regional Medical Center before being booked into the Doña Ana County Detention Center. She was then released from jail on her own recognizance in August, and recently, the charges were dropped.
Officials say alcohol is believed to have been a contributing factor in the fatal crash.
New Mexico courts note that the dismissal was based on a violation of grand jury procedures, a legal misstep that led to the decision to drop the charges. We’re working on gathering the full details of the grand jury error.
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