'I've been drinking' El Paso woman accused of manslaughter in deadly collision

Daniel Borunda, El Paso Times
·4 min read

A 24-year-old driver admitted to drinking alcohol, telling police she was "drunk" when she allegedly ran a red light, killing a passenger in another car at a far East El Paso intersection, a court document stated.

Valeria Mena was allegedly so intoxicated that police noted she had trouble standing following the deadly collision on May 21 the intersection of Joe Battle and Edgemere boulevards, police said.

Steven Anthony Hernandez, 28, died at the scene when the car he was riding in was hit on its passenger side in a T-bone collision when a Jeep Wrangler driven by Mena allegedly ran a stop light, police said.

Mena has two past arrests for driving while intoxicated since 2020. She remains held at the El Paso County Jail Downtown on a charge of intoxication manslaughter and a warrant connected to a DWI conviction last fall.

"Let's be honest, yes, I've been drinking, yes, I've been drunk, yes," Mena told police after the fatal collision, stated a complaint affidavit filed by an investigator with the Special Traffic Investigations Unit.

Night of drinking, death

When questioned later in an interview room at Police headquarters, Mena told STI investigators that she had attended a rave about 10 p.m. at a club named 11:11 and drank three Vodka Red Bulls, according to the affidavit.

About 2 a.m., she left the club and was driving home to the far East Side. She drove the Jeep Wrangler on the freeway before taking the Edgemere exit. She didn't remember any details of the collision, the affidavit stated.

At 2:53 a.m., Hernandez was a passenger in a white Honda Accord Crosstour driven by Destiny Anastasia Richardson, 24, heading east on Edgemere, police said. The car entered the intersection when Mena's Jeep slammed into its side. Hernandez died at the scene.

Steven Anthony Hernandez, 28, an aspiring musician known as "Stevie Suave," was killed by a suspected drunken driver on May 21 in far East El Paso. A GoFundMe page seen here collects donations to help his family pay for funeral expenses.
Steven Anthony Hernandez, 28, an aspiring musician known as "Stevie Suave," was killed by a suspected drunken driver on May 21 in far East El Paso. A GoFundMe page seen here collects donations to help his family pay for funeral expenses.

Mena had been northbound on Joe Battle Boulevard. The affidavit stated that investigators found security camera video from a nearby business showing Mena entered the intersection on a red light.

At the crash scene, Mena told police that she was not injured. Officers reported that she had glassy, bloodshot eyes along with the smell of alcohol on her breath and that she was swaying and appeared to have trouble standing up.

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When an officer asked her what had happened, she replied, "I don't know."

She repeatedly, confusingly told police that she was going to her house and that she was coming from her house, the affidavit stated. Police saw that she had a white paper wristband with red stars on her right wrist (like the type issued at nightclubs) and a glow stick on her left wrist.

When Mena was told that the officer could smell alcohol on her, "I know," she replied, the affidavit stated.

The officer asked her what she had been drinking, "whiskey," she said. Did she drink any beers? "Yeah, sure," she answered. Did she have any shots? "Yeah," she said, then added, "everything."

Valeria Mena was arrested on a charge of intoxicated manslaughter in a two-car collision on May 21 that killed Steven Anthony Hernandez, 28, at the intersection of Joe Battle and Edgemere boulevards.
Valeria Mena was arrested on a charge of intoxicated manslaughter in a two-car collision on May 21 that killed Steven Anthony Hernandez, 28, at the intersection of Joe Battle and Edgemere boulevards.

When police asked her to do a field sobriety test, Mena refused after being unable to keep her balance while given instructions for the test. "I'm not doing it," she said, before allegedly admitting to police that she had been drinking, the affidavit stated.

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After being arrested, Mena was walked over to the nearby The Hospitals of Providence Edgemere Emergency Room, where blood was drawn for a blood-alcohol test, police stated. It was 4 a.m. The result of the test was not in the complaint.

On Wednesday, Mena remained jailed under a bond of $200,000 on the DWI-conviction warrant and a $76,000 bond on the intoxicated manslaughter charge, according to a jail log.

Stevie Suave 'a beautiful soul'

Funeral services for Hernandez took place last weekend. Hernandez was an aspiring musician who went by the name "Stevie Suave." He is survived by his parents, a brother and two sisters, nieces and nephews and other family and friends, an obituary stated.

"Suave was a beautiful soul. His charisma was a gift from God and everyone who had the honor of spending time with him, can sincerely say they were blessed with true joy," a friend posted in the online memorial.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: New details revealed in DWI-linked traffic death in far East El Paso