Zavala guilty of Aggravated Assault for wreck that killed probation officer

A jury Wednesday found David Zavala, the man accused of driving drunk and killing his probation officer, guilty of Aggravated Assault.

Zavala was originally charged with Intoxication Manslaughter for the death of his passenger, 43-year-old Cynthia Mendoza. A Grand Jury indicted Zavala on a charge of Aggravated Assault.

EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this article stated Zavala was convicted on a lesser charge. That was not the case because the Grand Jury never indicted Zavala on the charge of Intoxication Manslaughter.

In February 2015, Zavala was driving east along the 4200 block of Fred Wilson in Northeast El Paso when he allegedly sped past a red light and lost control of his truck.

Police said Zavala crashed into a traffic sign, causing the truck to roll.

Mendoza was hospitalized and later died as a result of injuries sustained in the wreck, police said.

Soon after the deadly crash, ABC-7 learned Mendoza was Zavala’s probation officer.

The wreck led the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 59 to call for an investigation of the the West Texas Community Supervision and Corrections Department.

At the time, the union told ABC-7 the director of the corrections department was aware of the inappropriate relationship between Mendoza and Zavala and failed to do anything about it.

Earlier Wednesday, Judge Angie Baryl was called to the stand as a witness.

The Judge responded to questions regarding Zavala’s deferred probation, originally set at five years. Judge Baryl said Mendoza requested an early release of Zavala’s probation, but she denied the request because Zavala had not completed the transitional phase of his probation.

The judge also said she was concerned about the relationship between Mendoza and Zavala.

Zavala’s mother, Consuelo Zavala, also testified. She said Mendoza would visit her apartment very often, sometimes two or three times a week. Consuelo Zavala also said Mendoza would spend the night at her home on occasion.

Mendoza joined the Zavala Family in a trip to Las Vegas, Consuelo Zavala said. Juros were also show photos of Mendoza on vacation with the Zavala’s.

Consuelo Zavala told the jury she was aware the relationship between Mendoza and her son was improper. “They were not suppose to be together,” she said.