A San Antonio woman already on probation in the death of her sister during a traffic mishap will now spend 18 years in prison on charges of driving under the influence and evading arrest, Kendall County officials said.
Epiphany Richmond, 37, accepted a plea offer March 21 in Judge Kirsten Cohoon’s 451st state District Court assessing eight years behind bars in a case involving a wrong-way driving incident on Interstate 10 nine months ago.
According to prosecutors, Richmond agreed to serve the sentence cumulatively with a 10-year adjudication out of Bexar County for a 2014 intoxication manslaughter conviction stemming from a case that resulted in the death of her sister — for the 18-year total.
The latest incident, according to reports, began just past midnight on June 8, 2024, when a Kendall County sheriff’s deputy observed Richmond driving a silver Chevrolet Malibu the wrong way on I-10 near exit 539. The deputy began following the vehicle.
Richmond continued driving the wrong way on I-10 for about 14 miles while evading officers, nearly causing head-on collisions with several vehicles, according to reports.
Tire-deflation devices were used twice to slow down the errant auto, investigators said. Another officer drove parallel to Richmond in the grass median trying to stop her, according to court records.
Richmond finally halted the car near mile marker 525 on I-10, investigators said.
However, the motorist ignored verbal commands to get out of the vehicle and had to be removed by force, reports indicated.
Richmond seemed confused and unaware of why she was detained, according to reports. Officers said she appeared intoxicated, with glassy eyes; slurred, confused speech; and smelling of alcohol.
According to officers, Richmond said she believed she was driving near her home on the South Side of San Antonio. Under a warrant, a subsequent blood draw at Boerne Methodist ER showed a 0.169 blood alcohol concentration, or a level more than twice the legal limit, according to court documents.
In addition, prosecutors report the San Antonio resident had a 2017 conviction for intoxication manslaughter out of Bexar County. She received 10 years’ probation for the May 15, 2014, single-vehicle crash that resulted in the death of her sister, Tiara Lavette Richmond, court records indicated.
According to a San Antonio Police Department report, officers responding to that incident found a vehicle had rolled over, with Epiphany Richmond still in the driver’s seat. Her sister was found near the crash and died at the scene, police said.
Richmond’s BAC was 0.16, again twice the legal limit, investigators said.
Prosecutors noted Richmond was still on probation for the intoxication manslaughter conviction when she was arrested in Kendall County on the evading detention with a vehicle and DUI charges last year.
Bexar County revoked Richmond’s probation on Aug. 5, 2024, following the Kendall County arrest, and sentenced her to a decade in prison, prosecutors said.
The Kendall County Criminal District Attorney’s Office sought to run the sentences consecutively instead of concurrently, as Richmond was facing a punishment range of two to 10 years in prison for her Kendall County case.
Assistant District Attorney Derly Chapa prosecuted the case in the 451st.
“The successful prosecution of this case,” Chapa said, “underscores the commitment of the Kendall County District Attorney’s Office and local law enforcement agencies to ensuring public safety and holding individuals accountable for reckless actions that endanger lives in our community.”
Comment
Comments