Michael Butler, 44, has been charged with manslaughter after his Tesla Model 3 crashed into a home near Houston in June, killing 76-year-old Martha Avila. The arrest was announced late Wednesday by Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. Butler remained in custody as of Friday morning on $150,000 bail, with a court hearing tentatively scheduled for July 6.
Crash details and investigation
The crash occurred around 8 p.m. local time on June 19 in the Houston suburb of Katy. Butler's Tesla plowed through the front wall of Avila's home, fatally pinning her. Butler was injured but showed no signs of intoxication and cooperated with investigators. He allegedly told sheriff's deputies he was using the car's self-driving technology.
However, Tesla's vice president of AI software, Ashok Elluswamy, posted on X that Butler "manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100% of the accel pedal in [the] residential area." Tesla CEO Elon Musk also posted that it was a "high speed crash!"
Legal and regulatory response
Texas law defines manslaughter as recklessly causing death, a second-degree felony punishable by two to ten years in prison. Avila's family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against both Butler and Tesla, alleging gross negligence and defective autopilot and full self-driving systems.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have launched investigations into the crash. Since 2016, NHTSA has opened nearly 50 special investigations into Tesla crashes involving advanced driver-assistance systems, with about two dozen deaths reported. In March, NHTSA escalated its probe into 3.2 million Teslas with full self-driving technology over concerns about poor visibility detection.
Broader context
Tesla recalled about 2 million cars in 2023 to ensure driver attention when using autopilot. The company states both autopilot and full self-driving require fully attentive drivers with hands on the wheel. In early 2025, Tesla sales and stock fell amid a boycott linked to Musk's political activities, but recent figures suggest a recovery.
