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Tesla driver confronts manslaughter charges over Texas crash that killed a woman inside her home
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Police said Google searches showed Butler’s recent frustration with ‘timid’ FSD in his Tesla.
Key facts
- On June 19th, 76-year-old Martha Avila was killed after Butler’s vehicle plowed through her home in a residential neighborhood in Katy, Texas
- Avila’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Tesla and Butler, while both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have opened
- Police said Google searches showed Butler’s recent frustration with ‘timid’ FSD in his Tesla
Summary
The man whose Tesla struck and killed a woman inside her Texas home last month is now facing manslaughter charges, as reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal and local news outlet KHOU 11. 44-year-old Michael Butler was arrested on Wednesday and claimed to have been driving his Model 3 using Tesla’s Full-Self Driving (FSD) system at the time of the crash, according to an arrest affidavit. The court document includes the officer saying that data extraction from Butler’s phone found several FSD-related Google searches from May 2026: “Tesla fsd not aggressive enough 2026 model,” “tesla fsdnot aggressive enough 2026,” “tesla fsdnot aggressive enough,” “FSD is not aggressive enough for city driving,” “tesla fsdnot aggressive enough,” and “tesla fsd too timid.” On June 19th, 76-year-old Martha Avila was killed after Butler’s vehicle plowed through her home in a residential neighborhood in Katy, Texas.