Driver in Deadly Hit-and-Run at SXSW 2014 Found Guilty of Capital Murder

After being charged with killing four people and injuring another 20 during a hit-and-run at the 2014 SXSW Festival, Rashad Owens has been found guilty of capital murder by a jury of his peers. According to the Austin American-Statesman, the verdict came down on Friday (Nov. 6) after three hours of deliberation.

As previously reported, around 12:30 a.m. on March 13, 2014, tragedy struck the famed Texas music festival when Owens plowed into a group of people standing in line on 9th and Red River in front of House of Vans at the Mohawk. He was later arrested and charged with 24 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The charges were eventually upped to capital murder leading to a lengthy trial.

“There is no other answer than that the defendant knew what he was doing — and he didn’t care,” prosecutor Amy Meredith said during her closing statements. “He didn’t care who was in his way. He was not going to be stopped. He was not going to go to jail.”

Defense lawyers Russell Hunt and Rick Jones tried unsuccessfully to argue Owens' unfamiliarity with the area led to the tragedy, not his purposeful wrongdoing. “We don’t know at what point Mr. Owens perceived what was in front of him,” Jones said. “We don’t know what time he had to react.”

In the end, it wasn't enough to convince jurors. The 23-year-old will now spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.