Punishment phase begins for former Missouri City police officer following conviction in deadly crash

RICHMOND, Texas (KTRK) -- An emotional day in court for the punishment phase of a former Missouri City police officer, now convicted for the deaths of three people in a horrific Cartwright road crash.

The jury found Blademir Viveros guilty after just a few hours of deliberations on Monday. Tuesday, which was the sixth day of the trial, was the beginning of the punishment phase.

Prosecutors said he was going more than two times the speed limit in his police cruiser while responding to a call without his lights and sirens on.

Investigators said Viveros slammed into a car with 16-year-old Mason and his mom, Angela, inside.

Police confirm a man, Michael Hawkins, was in the back of Viveros' cruiser; he was paralyzed from the crash and died 7 months later from his injuries.

Through the trial, we learned Hawkins was in the back of the police cruiser because he was in custody following allegations made at an assault call down the road from the crash.

Tuesday, which was the sixth day of the trial, began the punishment phase, where the jury got to hear from 15 state witnesses.

Through this punishment phase, the jury listened to more testimony as they will ultimately work together to decide what kind of sentencing Viveros will receive.

Chief Prosecutor of Vehicular Crimes Alison Baimbridge told the jury they were going to learn in this stage of the trial that Blademir Viveris has been making bad choices since 2015.

She urged jurors that the punishment chosen should fit the crime and the person.

Witnesses spoke about the convicted former officer's actions, behaviors, and past run-ins with law enforcement as early as 2015, when he was 18.

An officer even testified that Viveros had applied to Richmond Police in 2020 and was disqualified from being hired because of a 2015 and 2017 traffic stop.

And into the afternoon, the focus shifted entirely off Viveros and to the victims, the three people who died as a result of a crash prosecutors have continuously said was preventable.

Things got very emotional as the court heard from family and friends of Michael and Angela Hawkins and Mason Stewart.

Loved ones spoke about how much they miss the victims and how this crash has altered their lives completely.

We expect to hear more testimony from both sides on Wednesday before this gets turned over to a jury for a decision.

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