Tesla driver faces manslaughter charges after crashing into home, killing woman in Texas
Michael Butler, 44, was arrested after his Tesla Model 3, operating on Full-Self Driving, crashed into a home in Katy, Texas, killing 76-year-old Martha Avila. Evidence shows Butler had searched for information about the system being too timid prior to the crash.
Michael Butler, a 44-year-old man, is facing manslaughter charges after his Tesla Model 3, reportedly using Tesla's Full-Self Driving (FSD) system, crashed into a home in Katy, Texas, last month, killing Martha Avila, 76. Butler was arrested on Wednesday and claimed he was using FSD at the time of the crash, according to an arrest affidavit.
The court document reveals that police extracted data from Butler's phone showing several Google searches from May 2026 related to FSD, including: "Tesla fsd not aggressive enough 2026 model," "fsd not aggressive enough for city driving," and "tesla fsd too timid." These searches indicate Butler's frustration with the autonomous system's performance.
On June 19, Butler's vehicle plowed through Avila's home in a residential neighborhood. Tesla AI head Ashok Elluswamy tweeted that 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 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have opened investigations.
The affidavit states that Butler told paramedics "the car was on 'autopilot'" and that he "remembers changing the music... (and) looked at the navigation screen" before the collision while making deliveries for DoorDash. He also told hospital providers that he "remembers putting the car in self driving mode" and that he "passed out." An evaluation found no alcohol or drugs in Butler's system.
After reviewing video from Butler's Model 3 and data from the vehicle's "black box," officials found that the "accelerator pedal was pressed, overriding FSD's speed control." In about six seconds, the accelerator was pressed to 100%, and the vehicle reached 73 mph (117 km/h), more than double the speed limit on that residential street. The Tesla struck a curb, went airborne, and hit the front of the home. The brake pedal was never pressed in the final minute before the crash.
