A Nueces County jury found Eva Dina Rosa guilty of intoxication manslaughter in the crash that killed Border Patrol Agent Brandon Brown.

Monday's verdict is the finding on guilt. It is not the sentence. Rosa told the same jury on Tuesday that she had been drinking and did not tell the officers who responded. Jurors were still deciding a term that KRIS 6 News reported can run as high as 20 years and a $10,000 fine. The years are not in yet.

A Nueces County jury found Eva Dina Rosa guilty on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, of one count of intoxication manslaughter in the wrong-way crash that killed U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brandon Brown, KIII and KRIS 6 News reported. Defense attorney Mark Gonzalez confirmed the verdict to KRIS and said the defense would call witnesses before jurors began deliberating on punishment. The trial started Oct. 13. Rosa had pleaded not guilty. The punishment phase opened after the verdict. Prosecutors rested Monday after Brown's family testified, and the defense began Tuesday morning, KIII reported. A guilty verdict decides the charge. It does not set the years.

Rosa, 41, of Bishop, was driving a 2023 Dodge Charger westbound on FM 70 near County Road 67 on Sept. 16, 2024, when she crossed into the oncoming lane and hit Brown's 1998 Lexus head-on, KRIS reported, citing the Texas Department of Public Safety. Both were taken to the hospital. Brown died of his injuries. He was 46, lived in Corpus Christi, and had served more than 20 years with the Border Patrol in the Kingsville sector, KRIS reported. He graduated from Washington State University, where he played linebacker and earned degrees in criminal justice and Spanish, and he served in the Peace Corps before joining the Border Patrol. He is survived by his wife and four children, the station reported.

The fight at trial was over intoxication, not over whether the cars collided. KIII reported that prosecutors told jurors in opening statements that a hospital blood test put Rosa's blood alcohol level at twice the legal limit. That figure is what prosecutors argued. It is not a number the stations published from a lab report of their own. Defense lawyers answered that officers at the scene did not smell alcohol, did not at first think she was intoxicated, and said she answered questions clearly, KIII reported. They also challenged cellphone evidence and said data from her vehicle showed she was going about 45 mph. A witness testified she saw the Charger swerving between lanes, stayed back because the driving frightened her, and called 911. Jurors heard that call, KIII reported. Testimony in court was that Rosa said at the scene that Brown had come into her lane and hit her. The jury's verdict rejected the defense on guilt.

Brown's family used the punishment phase to describe the life that stopped that night. His wife, Erin Brown, told the court he was a hard worker who made her life easier, and said, "I didn't realize all he did until he was gone," KIII reported. She said she was asleep with the children when a knock woke her. She called her husband, he did not answer, and she opened the door to police officers and a chaplain, who told her to go to the hospital and identify his body. She talked about a daughter's wedding and a son's games he will not see. Their daughter Amara Brown, 20, said she was in Washington when her mother called around 2 a.m. Their son Elijah Brown, 17, a basketball player at Veterans Memorial High School, described his father as loving and supportive and spoke about graduation and a wedding without him. Brown's mother told the court, "No mother should ever see their son in a coffin!" KIII reported.

Rosa took the stand Tuesday, before the jury weighed punishment. She admitted she had been drinking before the crash and said she did not tell the responding officers, because she feared "things would be worse for me," KIII reported. Asked why she had pleaded not guilty, she said she followed her lawyer's advice. Gonzalez told jurors that any frustration over that plea should be aimed at him. Rosa spoke about her children and about wanting to stay out of prison so she could keep caring for them. Her daughter, Jade Contreras, called her a provider and a best friend, said she did not drink heavily, and said she could not imagine raising her own expected child without her mother, KIII reported. Her son David Contreras testified about a younger son who depends on her. Probation officer Stephen Acuna, the first defense witness Tuesday, said Rosa had followed the rules of her probation. Pastor Servando Torres called her a blessing to the ministry. Evette Rodriguez, a former teacher who is now a principal in Bishop, spoke about Rosa's role in her children's schooling and in the community, KIII reported. Mitigation testimony asks for a shorter term. It does not undo the verdict.

Jurors have the punishment decision. KRIS reported Rosa faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. KIII reported intoxication manslaughter is a second-degree felony in Texas, punishable by two to 20 years. KIII reported Tuesday that the jury had begun deliberating and that proceedings were expected to resume at 1:15 p.m. KRIS reported Tuesday that testimony had continued through the day and that the case had gone to the jury. Neither station had reported a sentence. The guilty verdict is the finding on the charge. The prison term is still open, and the outlets did not report an appeal. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.