EL PASO, Texas — A man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after admitting that his reckless driving caused a fatal head-on collision in rural West Texas, prosecutors said. The crash claimed the life of Laura Lynch, a founding member of the country music group now known as The Chicks.
Domenick Chavez, 33, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in connection with the December 22, 2023, crash in Hudspeth County, according to a news release Tuesday from El Paso County District Attorney James Montoya, who also oversees nearby Hudspeth County.
The news release stated that Chavez was driving a truck westbound when he attempted to pass four vehicles on a two-way undivided highway and collided head-on with Lynch’s eastbound truck. Lynch, 65, of Dell City, was trapped in her vehicle and died at the scene.
Prosecutors revealed that Chavez was traveling between 106 mph (170 kph) and 114 mph (183 kph) at the time of the crash. While alcohol was not a factor, they noted that Chavez was driving on a suspended license. His license had been revoked due to failure to comply with DWI-related surcharges and penalties stemming from convictions in 2014 and 2017.
Laura Lynch, along with Robin Lynn Macy and sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer, formed The Dixie Chicks in the late 1980s. Lynch and Macy eventually left the band, and Natalie Maines joined the sisters. The trio rose to commercial fame with their breakthrough album “Wide Open Spaces” in 1998 and have won 13 Grammy Awards. In 2020, the band changed its name to The Chicks.
Following Lynch’s death, The Chicks posted on social media remembering her for her “infectious energy and humor” and describing her as “instrumental” in the band’s early success.
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