18 years for Texas drunk driver who killed cyclist then tried to hide body

A drunk driver who killed a cyclist in Texas and, according to police, attempted to conceal the body afterwards has been sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment.

Emilio Gomez, aged 24, pleaded guilty at Hidalgo County Courthouse to intoxicated manslaughter in relation to the death of Eddie Arguelles, aged 38, last April, reports the Associated Press.

The impact from behind was so violent that the body of Mr Arguelles was catapulted into the bed of the truck Gomez was driving. Police claim that he later attempted to dispose of the victims’s body in a drainage ditch.

The sentence was reached after lawyers acting for the driver struck a plea bargain that saw some of the charges against him dropped since he had no previous convictions.

A crowdfunding page raised more than $17,000 to pay for the funeral of Mr Arguelles, who left a wife, an 11-year-old daughter and a four-year-old son.