IN CONTEXT: Federal safety officials are examining how Tesla's Full Self-Driving software was being used before a Model 3 slammed into a house outside Houston, killing a woman inside and leading to a manslaughter charge against the driver. The case is sharpening questions about how the software responds when drivers push it beyond its limits and what happens when those choices end in a fatal crash.
According to court records and an arrest affidavit, 44-year-old Michael David Butler was driving a 2025 Tesla Model 3 through a residential neighborhood in Katy, Texas, on June 19 when the car left the street and crashed into the home of 76-year-old Martha Avila.
She was taken to a nearby hospital and died there after the crash, the documents say. Butler is now in custody at the Harris County jail on a manslaughter charge. His attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
From the beginning, investigators have focused on how Butler was using Tesla's system. Butler told officials and paramedics that he was working as a DoorDash driver and that the car was in FSD mode before he "passed out" while changing music on the car's touchscreen, according to the affidavit. The affidavit said tests found no alcohol or drugs in his system.
