Tesla driver faces manslaughter charges over Texas crash that killed a woman inside her home | The Verge
Overview
Tech Expand Amazon Apple Facebook Google Microsoft Samsung Business See all tech
Reviews Expand Smart Home Reviews Phone Reviews Tablet Reviews Headphone Reviews See all reviews
Details
Science Expand Space Energy Environment Health See all science
Entertainment Expand TV Shows Movies Audio See all entertainment
Policy Expand Antitrust Politics Law Security See all policy
Gadgets Expand Laptops Phones TVs Headphones Speakers Wearables See all gadgets
Verge Shopping Expand Buying Guides Deals Gift Guides See all shopping
Streaming Expand Disney HBONetflix You Tube Creators See all streaming
Transportation Expand Electric Cars Autonomous Cars Ride-sharing Scooters See all transportation
Transportation Close Transportation Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All Transportation
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
News Close News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All News
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
Policy Close Policy Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All Policy
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
Tesla driver faces manslaughter charges over Texas crash that killed a woman inside her home
Police said Google searches showed Butler’s recent frustration with ‘timid’ FSD in his Tesla.
Police said Google searches showed Butler’s recent frustration with ‘timid’ FSD in his Tesla.
Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
The man whose Tesla struck and killed a woman inside her Texas home last month is now facing manslaughter charges, as reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal and local news outlet KHOU 11. 44-year-old Michael Butler was arrested on Wednesday and claimed to have been driving his Model 3 using Tesla’s Full-Self Driving (FSD) system at the time of the crash, according to an arrest affidavit.
The court document includes the officer saying that data extraction from Butler’s phone found several FSD-related Google searches from May 2026: “Tesla fsd not aggressive enough 2026 model,” “tesla fsdnot [sic] aggressive enough 2026,” “tesla fsdnot [sic] aggressive enough,” “FSD is not aggressive enough for city driving,” “tesla fsdnot [sic] aggressive enough,” and “tesla fsd too timid.”
On June 19th, 76-year-old Martha Avila was killed after Butler’s vehicle plowed through her home in a residential neighborhood in Katy, Texas. Tesla AI head Ashok Elluswamy responded shortly after in a tweet, saying the driver “manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100%.”
Avila’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Tesla and Butler, while both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have opened investigations into the crash.
The affidavit says Butler told paramedics that “the car was on ‘autopilot,’” adding that “he remembers changing the music… (and) looked at the navigation screen” before the fatal collision while making deliveries for Door Dash. He also told hospital providers that he “remembers putting the car in self driving mode” and that he “passed out,” according to the affidavit. An evaluation from the hospital didn’t find alcohol or drugs in Butler’s system, the affidavit says
After reviewing video from Butler’s Model 3, along with data from the vehicle’s “black box,” officials said they found that the “accelerator pedal was pressed, overriding FSD’s speed control:”
On the video, I saw BUTLER’s Tesla continue to increase in speed, and saw the amount of pressure being applied to the accelerator pedal also increase in speed. In about six (6) seconds, the accelerator pedal was pressed all the way down to 100%, “pedal to the metal,” and the vehicle reached a speed of 73 miles per hour, more than double the speed limit on that residential street. The Tesla continued straight towards the middle of the cul-de-sac, struck the curb of the complainant’s driveway, and went airborne towards the front of the home… I noted that the brake pedal was never pressed in the final minute before the crash.”
On the video, I saw BUTLER’s Tesla continue to increase in speed, and saw the amount of pressure being applied to the accelerator pedal also increase in speed. In about six (6) seconds, the accelerator pedal was pressed all the way down to 100%, “pedal to the metal,” and the vehicle reached a speed of 73 miles per hour, more than double the speed limit on that residential street. The Tesla continued straight towards the middle of the cul-de-sac, struck the curb of the complainant’s driveway, and went airborne towards the front of the home… I noted that the brake pedal was never pressed in the final minute before the crash.”
Emma Roth Close Emma Roth News Writer Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All by Emma Roth
Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
Electric Cars Close Electric Cars Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All Electric Cars
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
News Close News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All News
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
Policy Close Policy Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All Policy
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
Tesla Close Tesla Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All Tesla
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
Transportation Close Transportation Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All Transportation
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
Xbox testing disc-to-digital feature that digitizes a physical game collection
Amazon has enough satellites to launch its Starlink competitor
Sony is killing discs — and showing us why it’s a terrible idea
Apple’s entry-level Mac Book Pro could be up for a redesign
Key Takeaways
- Tech Expand Amazon Apple Facebook Google Microsoft Samsung Business See all tech
- Reviews Expand Smart Home Reviews Phone Reviews Tablet Reviews Headphone Reviews See all reviews
- Science Expand Space Energy Environment Health See all science
- Entertainment Expand TV Shows Movies Audio See all entertainment
- Policy Expand Antitrust Politics Law Security See all policy
