An Army soldier has been charged with killing a Navy veteran and his fiancee at a Texas intersection after consuming an excessive amount of alcohol at a gender reveal party.
According to reports, 25-year-old Juan Francisco del Valle Ferrer drove a Honda HR into a black Mercedes carrying Rick Ballard and Dalia Olivas in El Paso at around 11:37 p.m. on Nov. 2. – Suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol. El Paso County Sheriff's Office.
The couple's Mercedes then spun out and crashed into a utility pole.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by police, Ballard, a 28-year-old Navy veteran, was violently thrown from the vehicle and his right leg was severed and was found inside the vehicle. KFOX14.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
His fiancée, Olivas, 28, an English teacher at El Paso's Triumph High School, was in the passenger seat when paramedics found him with “serious injuries.”
She was rushed to a local hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.
Del Valle Ferrer, a U.S. Army sergeant based at Fort Bliss, smelled of alcohol when officers arrived at the scene and said she had been at a gender reveal party prior to the accident with “a large amount of alcohol,” KFOX14 reported. He is said to have said that he had been drinking and passed out.
When police found Del Valle-Ferrer at the scene, he was allegedly wearing the light blue wristband he wore at the gender reveal party.
He was seriously injured in the accident and was taken to the hospital from the scene.
According to an arrest affidavit, Del Valle-Ferrer allegedly ran a red light at an intersection, sped and crashed into the couple's car.
According to court documents, a witness told police he saw a Honda HR-V accelerate through a red light without hesitation and then a Mercedes T-boned past.
The fatal accident occurred about 25 miles from Fort Bliss.
Both Ballard and Olivas' homes were blown up. Del Valle FerrerA GoFundMe set up for funeral arrangements describes his “reckless behavior” as he allegedly got behind the wheel drunk and killed his loved ones.
Ballard's family said he “worked hard to build a life for himself” and “though he had roots in Florida, he always returned to El Paso to visit family and loved ones.” he said.
His family wrote, “His death is too soon. We hope the entire family could use your love and support.”
Olivas' sister, Diana Villalobos, wrote on her page that Olivas was “full of life and had a heart of gold” and her family was shocked by her death.
Triumph High School Principal Francisco Chavez said. KFOX14 On Monday, it was announced that Olivas had been working as an English teacher since 2022.
Chavez said the young educator told him over the summer that this would be his last year teaching at the school as he and Ballard planned to move to Florida.
Del Valle Ferrer was booked into the El Paso County Jail and charged with two counts of DUI manslaughter.
He is currently being held on $520,000 bail.
