Alleged drunk driver admitted drinking 16 beers

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The man accused of killing a father and son in a double fatal accident while driving drunk early Saturday morning was arraigned Tuesday.

Jose Trinidad Rivera was only in court for a few minutes for his arraignment. But in that few minutes we learned a few new pieces of information. Results from a breath test taken hours after the crash reveal his alcohol level was well above the legal limit. And he's also in the United States illegally.

Rivera is charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter and one count of intoxication assault.

According to witnesses, he ran a red light and crashed into a Suburban around 2:30am Saturday at the I-45 feeder road and West Road, killing Juan Alvarez and his 10-year-old son Juan Junior.

"The defendant t-boned them, pushing them into a light pole," says Alison Baimbridge, with the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

Rivera admitted to officers that he drank 16 Bud Lights between 9:30 and 11:30 that Friday night. Police say they could smell alcohol on his breath, his balance was off and his eyes were bloodshot.

"We don't have the blood results back yet," Baimbridge says. "The defendant also consented to a breath specimen several hours after the crash. Those results showed his alcohol to be .138 several hours after the crash."

Baimbridge tells us there's also an ICE hold on Rivera.

The mother and a three-year-old survived the crash. Elizabeth Alvarez suffered severe injuries to the right side of her body. And we're told Ian Alvarez, the three-year-old, is in stable condition.

The family has set up a gofundme account to help pay for funeral services of Juan Alvarez and Juan Jr.