Williamson County Man Charged With Manslaughter After Burnet County Crash Kills Five

Kody Lane Talley, a Williamson County man, has been arrested and charged with five counts of manslaughter following a fatal crash on July 25 in Burnet County, Texas. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Talley was driving a Ram truck pulling a livestock trailer northbound on US 281 when he crossed into oncoming traffic, colliding head-on with a Chevrolet Malibu and then striking a Mercedes SUV. The SUV overturned and caught fire, killing all five occupants—Thalia Salinas, Ruby Cruz, Brianna Valadez, Desiree Cervantez, and Jacqueline Velazco—who were friends traveling from Dallas to celebrate a birthday. The drivers and passengers of the other vehicles sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Talley was arrested and booked into the Burnet County Jail, and the crash remains under investigation. Memorials have been placed at the crash site to honor the five friends.