Tesla driver who killed beloved grandma after ploughing into house at high speed and blamed car's 'autopilot' is charged with manslaughter

Published: 07:35, 3 July 2026 | Updated: 07:39, 3 July 2026 A Texas DoorDash driver has been charged with manslaughter after investigators said he accelerated the Tesla he was driving, moments before it smashed into a residential home, killing a 76-year-old grandmother inside. Michael David Butler, 44, was charged in connection with the June 19 crash in Katy after his Texas model 3 veered off the roadway, launched over a curb and tore through the front of her suburban family home. The Barbour family home was occupied by two parents, three young children and beloved grandmother Martha Avila at the time. The grandmother perished in the crash. 'She (Avila) didn't deserve to go this way,' the grief-stricken family told KHOU.  According to an arrest affidavit, Butler had sustained no serious injuries following the wreck and was discovered by law-enforcement officials alone inside the car shortly after the crash. The criminal charge comes after investigators seized Tesla's 'black box' and reviewed data from the vehicle and the dash camera footage, concluding that Butler overrode Tesla's full Self-Driving system by pressing the accelerator to it's maximum position, shortly before impact. However, crucially, Butler had pressed the accelerator not just once on the drive but several times. According to court documents, Butler initially told deputies he had been using the Tesla technology while making DoorDash deliveries and claimed to have been distracted while trying to change the music on the car's touchscreen. Michael Butler has been charged with manslaughter after he purposely accelerated the Tesla he was driving before it ploughed into a suburban home, killing 76-year old grandmother Martha Avila Butler who was said to have been making DoorDash deliveries at the time posited that he had nothing to do with the crash, blaming Tesla's self driving technology for misfunctioning Avila's family shared photos of her with KHOU 11 and admitted they remain in shock as they grapple to comprehend what happened Butler who was behind the wheel at the time, also sustained injuries in the crash but is still alive after being taken to hospital by ambulance. He claimed to have 'passed out' and conveniently had no memory of the moments before the crash. But investigators say the Tesla's own electronic data tells another story. Authorities allege the car automatically slowed as it approached a residential intersection, before Butler suddenly pressed the accelerator all the way to the floor, overriding the automated driving system. The vehicle then surged to about 73mph along a residential street before failing to negotiate a left turn. Investigators say there was no evidence Butler attempted to brake before the Model 3 struck a curb, launched into the air and slammed into Avila’s home with devastating force. Doorbell footage uploaded to X revealed the harrowing moment. The video also caught the loud screech the car emitted as it crashed into the home. The 76-year-old grandmother was inside the property when the car crashed through the wall.  Emergency crews rushed to the scene where Life Flight airlifted Avila to hospital, and was later pronounced dead after life-saving measures were rendered unsuccessful.  Jennifer Barbour, Avila's daughter, told KHOU she was in the backyard when she heard a loud boom 'I'm still wearing the same clothes from yesterday.' Barbour said a day after the death, adding that the family is currently staying in a hotel while the home is damaged Tesla’s controversial 'Autopilot' feature, despite its name, is not a fully self-driving system and still requires constant driver supervision. Authorities said investigators found no indication that a mechanical fault, unintended acceleration or vehicle defect caused the collision. Butler tested negative for alcohol and common recreational drugs, while medical examinations reportedly ruled out a heart attack, seizure or stroke that could explain his claim that he lost consciousness. Authorities further allege that Butler’s cellphone contained condemning internet searches made before the crash expressing frustration that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software was not driving aggressively enough. Tesla, who has faced mass scrutiny in the past over their self automated option has maintained that the company was not at fault. Defensive executives took to social media to dispute Butler’s account, saying the car’s driver pressed the accelerator pedal down and adding the sadistic detail that Butler kept it pressed even after the crash. Owner of Tesla, billionaire Elon Musk himself took to X to refute the matter, penning the words 'This makes no sense.' The automaker says that Full Self-Driving is designed to require continuous driver supervision and that drivers remain responsible for controlling the vehicle at all times. However, the fatal crash has intensified scrutiny of Tesla’s driver-assistance technology as federal regulators from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration continue investigating incidents involving Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems. Musk refuted the claims Tesla was to blame and stated it made no sense as he defended the brand from a barrage of critics A year prior, NHTSA launched an investigation into roughly 2.9 million Tesla vehicles over 'Full Self-Driving' running red lights and driving the wrong way, and the agency upgraded that probe in March 2026 to an engineering analysis. Meanwhile, Avila’s devastated family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against both Butler and Tesla, suing them for $1 million, alleging negligence and arguing the crash could have been prevented. Butler remains in custody at the Harris County jail, according to court records. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. 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