Parents Discover Son Just Killed His Teen Brother

These are the parents of Jose González Jr., just two hours ago their son was pronounced dead after a devastating car crash. But the detective is about to reveal something that makes the situation far more disturbing. At first, officers suspected Jose was involved with the wrong crowd, but as the investigation progressed the evidence would reveal something far more shocking. The driver was his own cousin, turning what appeared to be a tragic crash into a vehicular homicide investigation that claimed more than one victim. "She's out in the town for three people." On September 27, 2023, at 1.36 a.m., Indianapolis officers are in a routine patrol when they spot a Dodge Challenger moving erratically. The driver is speeding, following cars too closely, weaving in and out of traffic. Reckless driving like that can cause a deadly accident at any moment, so they signal the car to pull over and initiate a traffic stop. But the driver is about to make a decision that will change the entire course of the night. The Dodge takes off at top speed. The officers give chase. Luckily, traffic is light at that hour, giving police a chance to catch up and pull the car over. But the driver isn't slowing down. Worse yet, the speed he's going is putting everyone in grave danger. Officers are chasing the Dodge at an insane speed of over 140 miles an hour, and even then, they're still struggling to catch up. At this point, officers have no idea what they're dealing with. The driver could be on drugs, carrying deadly weapons or fleeing from a crime scene. Anything is possible if he's willing to risk his life to get away. The pursuit continues for nearly 13 minutes, and when officers think they're finally about to catch him, the driver does the impossible. Yup, he did it! He did it! Everybody, go through this line. Slow down, slow down, slow down. Not eternal, man. At that line. Last location went westbound on 10th and jamming search. The Dodge Challenger finally gets away into a populated area. The police chase has become too dangerous. At 1.50am, officers have no choice but to let him go and hope to catch him another time. Little did they know, the driver isn't slowing down. In just three minutes, those same officers and the entire Indianapolis Police Department will receive one of the most terrifying reports the city has ever seen. Yes, you don't know what a girl in the Grey Cloud hospital is. I have zero clue. I just arrived on scene. I don't know where anybody's at or anybody's going. I'm sorry, man. I have no clue. Can you point me in the direction to talk to somebody? It's my wife. It's my wife. What's your wife? My baby's a girl. What's your wife? This is Justin Bevers. Just moments ago, he received horrifying news. The woman he married only 10 days ago was the victim of a high-speed vehicle crash, and Justin has no idea if she's still alive. The officer who had been chasing the suspect was one of the first to arrive on the scene of this horrific crash. This is it? Yes. Okay. She's alert? No, she's not alert. She's out of process. Okay. Hello? Hey, let's send the crashed reconstruction. I saw her. We don't know yet. She's unconscious. I don't know. There's still an entrapment. This is going to be a vehicle that the challenger hid. I believe she was ejected, and she's being transported now. No, this was the car that we were chasing. The car that we were chasing ended up hitting this car. But we terminated before he crashed. The victim's car is utterly wrecked. The sheer force of the collision shredded the Toyota's front end and sent it flying off the road. In fact, the impact was so powerful it ripped the engine out of the vehicle. Officers would later find it in the driveway of a nearby residence. Michaela is unconscious and has suffered multiple serious injuries, but she is alive miraculously. Her time is running out. Without immediate medical attention, she could become the crash's first fatality. But this night isn't over yet. There's still the Dodge Challenger with its driver trapped inside the wreckage. However, there is little hope that he would survive. Fire and rescue have to work through the twisted metal and rubble to confirm the officer's worst fears. It takes a solid 10 minutes of time. It takes a solid 10 minutes of cutting and clearing the wreckage before someone finally emerges from the vehicle. And that someone is the driver himself. 19-year-old Luis Leba Gonzalez, the man officers had been chasing at high speeds. Surprisingly, he survived, but he is bleeding from the head. Paramedics rush him onto a stretcher, preparing for the ride to the hospital. But before Luis is taken away, he says something that none of the officers want to hear. I'm okay. My little brother, please help my little brother. Is that your car? Yeah, it's my little brother, bro. My little brother, please. Is that being money? Nothing. Victor wasn't a learned breathing. Was not? Was not. I mean, they were puffing blood out of a mouth. Not him. He was driving. There's supposedly two other individuals, but he was the only one talking. So my, if it didn't, would be 3D or what? There might be 3D or what? Potentially. I have Metro going to Metro this with one of the females or with BICM. Okay, yeah, that looks good. That is a look good. Right there, officers witness a sight they'll never forget. A minute later, firefighters pull a body from the back seat of the Dodge Challenger. It's a teenage boy, 14-year-old Christian, Luis's little brother. His injuries are devastating, but somehow he is still breathing. Christians immediately rush to the hospital. And just when officers think the worst parts are over, the scene takes another terrifying turn. I don't know. It's just him, he'll be free. He's actually going to be pulled in to the garage. First responders locate another body this time from the front passenger's seat, but it's trapped inside the crushed frame. Firefighters have to use specialized extraction tools known as the jaws of life to cut through the twisted metal and pull them out. The second victim is 32-year-old Jose Gonzales, Luis's older cousin. Sadly, Jose took the full force of the collision. As injuries were too severe, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers never expected this chase to end up so devastating, but now this crash site has become something more. A crime scene involving a driver who may have just taken a life with his reckless behavior and it needs to be investigated immediately. He left. He left. Oh, it's 3.69. Going to hospital. Okay. All right. Yeah, driver left. He just left. He's alert conscious. He's far. And up, right, and everything. He had minutes of driving and everything. Okay. He's got body camera. Yeah. I tell you. Is this your car where you drive it? Yes. So now that we're investigating, it's good. They're shut off body cash. That's already off. Right? Let's go and turn it off. But what none of the officers realize in a few minutes, they'll receive the most tragic update of the night. Two other victims, Michaela Hankins and Christian Gonzales, will be pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital, making it three confirmed victims of this fatal crash. Now the police have to build the case against Luis, with the most serious charges he can face, vehicular manslaughter of his own family and an innocent woman he crashed into. Officers start documenting the scene by gathering witness testimonies, photographing pieces of the cars debris and canvassing the area, everything to reconstruct exactly how the crash occurred. But so far, every piece of evidence points to only one version of the events. But the key to understanding what happens lies first with the victim of the crash. At 1.53 a.m., just three minutes after the chase was terminated, 21-year-old Michaela Hankins is driving her Toyota Camry to pick up her husband from his shift at Walmart. As she approaches the intersection of East Tenth Street and North Midhofer Road, the traffic light turns green. He starts crossing the road, then out of nowhere, a Dodge Challenger burns through the red light at 140 miles an hour and slams straight into Michaela's sedan. Her car is sent flying to the side of the road, the engine ripped out of the vehicle on impact. Luis's Dodge, however, slams into a fire hydrant before coming to a full stop off the road. All that remains is a trail of debris, scattered car parts, and three bodies. And somehow Luis walks away with only minor injuries. But why didn't he stop? If he had, this wouldn't have happened, which leads officers to believe that Luis was running from something. Perhaps he had been involved in a crime or had a criminal record he didn't want the police to uncover. Officers need to check his record, but this won't be the only thing they check. Paramedics are also told to test Luis for traces of alcohol or drugs in his body. Because one thing they know for sure, Luis was speeding away for a reason. And if there is something that made Luis not only risk his life, but the lives of his family members, then it had to be something serious. But figuring that out won't be the hardest part of the officer's job that night. That would be informing the Gonzalez family about the loss of their loved ones. I don't know, it's in my son's, I don't know. Do I have a son? The car is registered to Luis, right? Yes, it's his vehicle. Are they good? No, the son. So Luis and Christian and Jose, they've all been taken to different hospitals. I don't know exactly which hospitals they're at, but I can find that out. I know for sure one of them is a Methodist, and I believe the others at Escapacia is that right. I don't know, the best way to tell you guys is to be 100% transparent with you. Luis, he's at the hospital, he's a pretty bad shape Christian, his deceased, Jose's deceased, and then the female driver, the people they hit, is deceased. So four people involved in the only person still alive right now is the Luis, okay? Do you know what they were out doing tonight? No, they were in the casa, they didn't know me, even in the McDonald's. This is me, this is me, this is me, this is me, this is me, this is me, this is me, this is me, I wasn't, I wasn't. When was the last time you talked to, when was that time either you talked to him? This morning? This morning? This morning? Let's talk to Christian this morning. My brother, I talked to him and he came yesterday, okay? They've been in trouble before, like arrested, or hurt nothing, no criminal, they're just doing nothing at all. This is Luis's father and older brother, they arrived shortly after detectives called them to the scene to ask more information about Luis and his alleged involvement in crime. But the answers, officers get, don't match what they expect, Luis has no criminal record, the detectives even called their department to check, Luis and his brother had just gone to grab some burgers. So what possessed Luis to pull the cops into a chase at breakneck speeds? What's even stranger is that Luis and Christian's father barely react to the news? Officers soon realized the family isn't exactly fluent in English, and they have to repeat themselves this time making sure the father understands what they're telling him. The worst news any parent could ever hear. I'm so happy to hear both deceased. But this isn't even the most heartbreaking reaction the officers will see today. Soon, everybody in the family will learn what their son did that night and Luis himself will face the irreparable harm that he caused. There's a reason you never know what's coming around the corner. Just like there's a reason why Morgan and Morgan is America's largest injury firm. And when the unexpected does happen, an injury can leave you dealing with medical bills, and time, and a lot of uncertainty. If you're injured because of someone else's negligence, dealing with the aftermath might be overwhelming. Morgan and Morgan helps injured people navigate the legal process, with over 100 offices nationwide and more than 1,000 qualified lawyers ready to represent their clients. The numbers speak for themselves, with 35 years of experience fighting for everyday people's rights, and more than 30 billion dollars recovered for their clients, Morgan and Morgan have the experience and resources to help you pursue the compensation you deserve. And with their no-win, no fee promise, there is no fee unless they win your case. Morgan and Morgan are committed to helping injured people get the fair compensation they deserve when someone else is at fault. For more information, you can check out Morgan and Morgan at forthepeople.com/beyondevil and see if you have a claim. Morgan and Morgan are committed to helping injured people get the fair compensation they're committed to. Unfortunately, Luis is barely responsive. He struggles to remember what happened before the crash, let alone explain it to the detectives. So officers will let Luis recover and leave him alone for now. But this detective has a much harder task ahead of him, telling Jose's relatives that they're eldest. son is dead. After gathering some basic information from both families with the help of a Spanish interpreter, Luis's side is escorted out. Now only Jose's left ones remain in the room. They're about to hear the news that no family should ever have to receive. Son no, don't say that because my son died. The scene is, detectives will still have a mystery to solve. Why did Luis risk the lives of his little brother and older cousin to get away from the police and Jose? The scene is still on, keep him there. As tragic as the scene is, detectives will still have a mystery to solve. Why did Luis risk the lives of his little brother and older cousin to get away from the police? And Jose's English speaking sister may hold a key to understanding what really happened. When I was at home, I was there at my aunt's house, my aunt's house. He went to work. Did you see him get picked up? Did you see him pick up or what? No, he went with my dad. They left to my aunt's house to see my grandma. And then my dad went to church. And then when they came back, what they told me, when they came back they were there. They had to go to get food, but my uncle was like, you know, they're taking a lot longer than usual. So, him, my uncle and my cousin, they went to go find them. And then when they, when they were heading all in, how's her? That's when they saw their car. And I guess someone told him that. They had like Christian and my brother had passed away. And then they, like, they told my dad. And then they started calling me. I was asleep until my sister like knocked onto the door. She was like, okay, like something's going on. Now, officers have the second witness who confirmed that the three of them simply went to grab some burgers right after visiting their grandmother. But what happened next is still a mystery. Officers found no reports of Luis or his passengers being involved in any crime anywhere. They had no obvious reason to run. So, why did Luis still lead police on a high-speed chase that would turn deadly? There is only one person who can answer this question. Luis himself. But given his circumstances, Luis may not be willing to tell detectives the truth, especially if he's trying to avoid responsibility for what happened. So detectives come up with one final tactic. A cruel one, but perhaps the only way to get Luis to talk. Both families know what Luis did and the damage he caused. It's time for him to learn the truth as well. I just want to let you know that you are in the rest of my work. I'm just saying I'm unfortunately not in death. Okay? On the start. Who died? Your cousin Luis. I'm sorry, your cousin Jose. And your brother. And the other party involved in the crash. So I'm able to be able to comply with the crime. Okay, I just want to let you know that. Okay? We're up there in here. He's still here, however you guys will not be able to see him. Okay? He's on your rest. He's going to be treated here and be taken into custody after that. So it's like, you know, we're going to be able to see him. Until I went, where's like. Till I figure he goes, June, cord and everything else like that. I don't have a time frame for you as far as when he's getting released. As far as the extent of injuries and everything else like that. But he's under police custody now. He's initially being charged for resisting law enforcement for pedicome. He's all taken into custody for 30 people. It's almost fine. Is he good? Yeah, he's injured. An hour later, Luis finally comes to his senses. He'll be questioned by the police officer now prepared to record everything he has to say in his defense. But what he tells him could change the course of his entire life. To the cop that was chasing me or whatever, if you're a cop, I don't remember. What did they stop chasing you at some point in there? I honestly don't remember. I just, I should just stop the first time. But like I said, I just, I just jumped into panic because my little brother was in the car. Let me ask you why you got a panic for? Why did I panic? Yeah, I don't know. I mean, my little brother is in there. Because your brother and yeah, you, I mean, that's what the original speed was. So it was just kind of like a show off thing or. I mean originally when you were speeding through, you were just, you know, yeah, just having fun, joy, ride, type name. Because your family said you explained you, I guess you're, it's your grandmother came from Mexico, correct? You're all over there visiting. All right. You went and got, you were supposed to go get food, correct? Yeah, we grabbed the food and that was my cousin's first time in the car and he was just telling me he was. Jose? Yeah. Was I listening? In your car? First time? Where was he sitting at? And then where was your brother sitting at? You know, where in the back seat behind you or behind the passenger? So behind your cousin? Okay. Yeah, it was his first time and we grabbed the food and we were supposed to be on the way home but he said it was just dry for a little bit. While I was showing off or whatever, speeding down the street, the cops started following me and I just, I didn't know what to do but to keep going. Apparently, this was nothing more than an adrenaline-fueled joy ride. Neither Luis nor his brother nor his cousin had committed any crime that prompted the chase. Luis's only fear was what might happen if he stopped when officers told him to. But if he had his brother, his cousin and the recently wed Michaela would all still be alive. Do you remember how you crashed the car? I don't know. I just don't know. We was at an intersection with another car. We didn't say you were at an intersection with another car. You mean the car was coming at you or you were at a parallel car? Yeah, I don't know as far as I was just going to happen at an intersection. I was coming up to an intersection and that's the last car I remember before. Do you remember what kind of light was through the intersection? I don't remember. I remember it was coming up to the intersection and I woke up and said I woke up like on the floor. Do you remember how fast you were going or anything like that? Coming up to the intersection? Yeah, no. I know I was still going fast because I was still running away from the car. The force of the impact likely knocked Luis unconscious, but detectives won't need his statement to understand what happened. They've already gathered enough evidence to build a strong case against him. Now, all Luis can do is face the consequences of his own actions. However, the young man isn't like most criminals. He genuinely regrets what he's done. "I'm not here to make your guys' job harder. I know what I do is wrong. I'm not going to lie or anything. I'm going to own those two of us all my fault." Like I said, I really wanted to apologize to whatever officer we're following me. And I'm sorry, I put them through that. And there are a lot of us as well. Truthfully, man, you don't have to apologize to us. You can't believe it. There are kind of splints in the results on this. Of course, I'm not so far. He said they're taking me to jail tonight or tomorrow. I don't know. Well, you're going to, obviously, our biggest experience is your medical treatment. So you're going to stay here until you get treated and do well at hospital release. But you're under an orchestration. All right, all right. I'm willing to comply. I'm just not saying anything. Well, we appreciate that, man. Like I said, I appreciate your honesty. And I appreciate everything else. You probably won't be the last one talking to me. All right. But we appreciate your new statement and everything. So let the doctors do what they need. Do you get your patched up? You're okay. You have any questions? Let us know. We'll try to answer your best if we can, okay? I think I'm sorry. With that, the questioning comes to an end. The next day at 1 a.m., officers arrive to take Luis into custody, where he will await trial for the most serious charge he's facing, vehicular manslaughter of three innocent victims. No matter what happens next, Luis is set to face justice for his crime. Or so the prosecutors, the public and the victims' families thought before they heard his final sentence, becoming one of the most controversial decisions in U.S. history. 21-year-old Michaela Hankins had been married to her husband, Justin Beaver's, just 10 days before her life was tragically cut short by Luis's reckless speeding. A normal day like any other turned into tragedy. Now Justin was left to raise their two-year-old daughter without her mother. Shortly after Michaela's death, he opened a fundraiser to help give his wife a proper burial. And Michaela's grandmother, who had adopted her after her own mother's death, was left questioning how someone responsible for a crash that killed three people could receive such a light sentence. Michaela's co-workers were devastated by the loss of their friend, so they made memorial buttons and wore them to keep her memory alive. I'm angry because she didn't need to lose her life like that. Danya was a shining star. She was from day one when she walked in this store. I don't know how. I be trying to deal with it because I get emotional just thinking that I know she's not going to come back. In 2023, Luis was initially charged with three counts of resisting law enforcement resulting in death, each a level three felony, a serious criminal offense, along with three counts of reckless driving causing death. Prosecutors alleged that Luis knowingly fled from officers and drove in a manner that resulted in three deaths. But this is where things get strange. Luis was released shortly after his arrest after posting a surprisingly low bond for a case this serious. Only $1,000 in cash plus a $50,000 surety bond that he would appear in court. That decision immediately drew criticism. Indiana State police superintendent Doug Carter publicly questioned the decision and called for greater scrutiny of Marion County's criminal justice system. When is enough enough? So what point are we going to say, stop, shake up the edge of sketch, we've got to clear the slate. This isn't working. This level of accountability is not working. That was only the beginning. By 2025, prosecutors had brought a much larger set of charges against Luis. He ultimately faced 12 felony counts. As part of a plea deal, he pleaded guilty on October 3rd, 2025 to nine counts, including three counts of resistance. Three counts of resisting law enforcement resulting in death. Three counts of reckless homicide. And three counts of causing death while operating a vehicle with a controlled substance in his blood. The potential exposure for those nine counts ranged from nine to 48 years in prison. In the end, prosecutors asked for 25, but the sentencing took an unexpected turn. Jennifer Harrison dismissed six of the counts and sentenced Luis on only three resisting law enforcement resulting in death counts. The final sentence was nothing short of underwhelming. Only two years in prison followed by seven years of home detention. Despite not one, not two, but three deaths. The 140-mile-an-hour flight from police that could have endangered even more innocent people, and the prosecution asking for 25 years, Luis was sentenced to just two years behind bars, and the sentence caused substantial backlash both from the public and from the family that suffered most from this crime. We would like to extend our deepest condolences to the friends and relatives of Mikaela Hankins and the Gonzalez family for their tragic loss.