Sabrina Garcia, a Houston, Texas mom, expressed shock after learning that the father of her two sons was high on drugs when he crashed a vehicle that resulted in the death of his stepdaughter, Zyra Longoria, and injury to the two boys.
Garcia had been planning her daughter’s 7th birthday party, instead, she’ll be arranging a funeral.
The Man Garcia’s Daughter, Zyra, Called Dad Allegedly Took Pills & Used Marijuana Before Operating the Vehicle.
Zyra Longoria was killed in a car wreck this past weekend after the man she called dad allegedly took pills and fell asleep behind the wheel. The girl’s mother, Garcia, referred to her daughter as a “blue-eyed baby,” KHOU11 reported.
Garcia told the outlet that her daughter “Joked around a lot, made everybody laugh. Everybody in my family loved her so much.”
The beloved little girl would have been 7-years-old this week.
Last Saturday, Zyra was a passenger in Paul Rodriguez‘s car along with the couple’s two sons. Rodriguez, 30, is Garcia’s ex. Witnesses reported seeing the man driving erratically on Houston’s Southwest Freeway before crashing into several cars. Zyra was ejected from the vehicle and died the following day after suffering severe brain trauma.
“My four-year-old is taking it really hard. He’s taking it really, really hard,” Garcia told KHOU11. “I have to be strong for him.”
The four-year-old boy and his two-year-old brother were not physically injured in the crash, but the older of the two is reportedly traumatized by the experience.
“My son just said that his daddy kept falling asleep,” Garcia explained. “His daddy hit a lot of cars and that he saw his sister go out the window.”
A Houston mom has planned both a birthday party & funeral for her 6YO just days apart. Zyra Longoria's mom doesn't understand what happened. Court docs say Zyra was killed by her brother's dad, high on pills when he crashed his car. He's charged w murder. Story @ 10 #KHOU11 pic.twitter.com/eaxyuTARI3
— Lauren Talarico (@KHOULauren) October 13, 2021
“He still doesn’t understand. Last night he was crying and crying for her. He wants her to come home.”
Rodriguez has been charged with murder and intoxication assault. Despite not being in a relationship with him, Garcia told KHOU11 that he had been a good father.
“If I thought my kids weren’t safe, they wouldn’t be in his care,” she said. “They wouldn’t be with him at all.”
According to court documents, Rodriguez said he smoked weed and took pain pills before the crash.
“By the defendant’s own admission, he smoked marijuana and had taken narcotic pills at the time prior to picking up three young children,” a prosecutor told a judge Tuesday at Rodriguez’s first court appearance.
Court documents also revealed the Rodriguez bought narcotics off the street to self-medicate a back injury.
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“He apologized and he just said that he didn’t remember he blacked out,” Garcia told the outlet. “It seems just so unreal. I don’t understand. I really, really don’t understand.”
Rodriguez remains in jail today for the alleged murder of his daughter with a $250,000 bond.
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help with the cost of Zyra’s funeral.
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