Former Texas Paramedic Found Guilty of Intoxication Manslaughter in 2011 Fatal Crash

Feb. 10--A Travis County jury on Monday morning found Terri Elmore guilty of two counts of intoxication manslaughter in the November 2011 deaths of Ernest and Barbara Boyett.

The panel could have found Elmore, 42, guilty of driving while intoxicated but opted for the more serious charges. Prosecutors at trial said Elmore had a blood alcohol content of .20 when she got in her car and drove into oncoming traffic along westbound U.S. 290, hitting the Boyetts head on.

Testifying last week on her own behalf, Elmore said she had no memory of anything on the day of the accident, in which she was seriously injured. She also testified she had suffered fainting spells for many years, including one just two days before the accident when she passed out running. She said she also had fainted at work.

Elmore faces two to 20 years in prison on each count. The punishment phase of the trial is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Monday.

Ernest was a pastor at Dayspring Fellowship church, and many church members sat in the audience during the trial.

Update 11:15 a.m.: A Travis County jury on Monday found Terri Elmore guilty of two counts of intoxication manslaughter with a deadly weapon in the 2011 deaths of Ernest and Barbara Boyett.

There was some quiet sobbing in the courtroom after the verdict was read, and Elmore was taken into custody. She had been out on bail.

Jurors have been given a break before the sentencing phase begins, and court is now in recess.

Earlier: A Travis County jury resumes deliberations Monday in the trial of Terri Elmore, a former paramedic who prosecutors say killed a pastor and his wife in a November 2011 drunken driving wreck.

Elmore, 42, has been charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter with a deadly weapon in the deaths of Ernest and Barbara Boyett. She faces two to 20 years in prison or probation for each felony.

If the jury finds her not guilty of those offenses, they can consider two lesser charges of driving while intoxicated, District Judge Jim Coronado said.

Court records say that Elmore, now 42, had been traveling west on U.S. 290 near Baxter Lane when her 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser crossed the center line and hit the Boyetts' van head-on. The couple died at the scene, and Elmore was flown to a hospital with serious injuries.

To read about the trial of Terri Elmore click here.

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