An Odessa man accused of being involved in a deadly road rage incident pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 15 years in prison last week.
According to an Odessa Police Department report, Victor Tarin Gonzales Jr. was seen on surveillance video punching Ross Walker in the parking lot of the DK convenience store on Tanglewood Lane on Oct. 14, 2021. Walker fell to the ground, hit his head on a rock and died the next day at University Medical Center in Lubbock.
Gonzales, 39, admitted hitting Walker, according to the report. He told detectives he was driving west on Maple Avenue when Walker, 57, ran a stop sign, almost crashing into him. Gonzales saw Walker pull into the DK parking lot, so he pulled in to confront him.
In addition to pleading guilty to manslaughter, Gonzales pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance (heroin) in a separate 2021 case. He was sentenced to 571 days in prison in that case and they’ll be served concurrently with the other sentence.
Walker was a married father of three and grandfather of seven. He was also survived by his mother and 12 siblings.
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