Texas man charged with manslaughter after Tesla on autopilot crashes into home

A Harris County judge indicted 44-year-old Michael Butler on a count of manslaughter after his Tesla Model 3, which was in the company’s autopilot driver-assistance mode, left the road and entered a residence in Katy, Texas, on June 19. The vehicle struck the home of 76-year-old Martha Avila, who was inside the front room and later died at a hospital despite being airlifted for treatment.

Butler is being held on a $150,000 bond. Court records do not indicate whether he has retained counsel. Officials said he showed no signs of intoxication and cooperated with investigators.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a federal investigation into the crash. A front-door security camera captured the vehicle entering the driveway and colliding with the house.

Tesla’s head of artificial-intelligence software, Ashok Elluswamy, posted on X that Butler manually overrode the system by pressing the accelerator, noting the car had accelerated to about 73 mph. Tesla’s owner manual advises drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and be prepared to take control at any time.