Michael Butler has been charged with manslaughter following a crash involving his Tesla Model 3 that resulted in the death of 76-year-old Martha Avila. The incident occurred on June 19, 2026, when the vehicle reportedly crashed into Avila's home near Houston, Texas. Tesla stated that Butler had disabled the car's self-driving mode prior to the crash. The announcement of Butler's arrest was made by Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez on Wednesday via a Facebook post.
✓ AI-Debiased Article
4
Wire-neutral
provisional
✓ No loaded language, vague sourcing, or framing detected.
Man Charged with Manslaughter Following Tesla Crash
Michael Butler has been charged with manslaughter after his Tesla Model 3 crashed into a home in Houston, Texas, resulting in the death of 76-year-old Martha Avila. Tesla reported that Butler had disabled the vehicle's self-driving mode before the incident, which occurred on June 19, 2026.
Companies
Tesla
People
Michael Butler
Martha Avila
Ed Gonzalez
Annotating as
No note attached
on this article.
Original vs. Neutral
Original Headline
Man charged with manslaughter over Tesla crash originally blamed on car’s self-driving mode
Neutral Headline
Man Charged with Manslaughter Following Tesla Crash