By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
The 83rd Judicial District Judge Robert E. Cadena on Tuesday set a trial date of April 28 in the case of a woman charged with a felony following a motor vehicle collision that resulted in a man’s death. The case of Karen Aida Hernandez was on the docket of Cadena’s 83rd Judicial District Court during the morning session.
Hernandez was charged with the offense of collision involving personal injury or death, a second-degree felony, following an investigation into a motor vehicle collision that killed Del Rio resident Benito Omar Calvillo, 29, in the summer of 2024. Hernandez was indicted on the offense in January 2025 and pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in July 2025, when she told Cadena she would attempt to hire Eagle Pass attorney Greg Torres.
Torres appeared in court Tuesday representing Hernandez. When the case was called, Torres asked Cadena to reset the matter to March 30 for a final pretrial hearing. “We are close to resolving this,” Torres told the court. “It’s my understanding that the state needs to visit with family members (of the deceased), but we’re very close.”
Assistant District Attorney Daniel Esquivel, representing the state, concurred with the request, though Cadena noted the case had been pending for an extended period. Cadena then asked whether Hernandez was present, and a sheriff’s office bailiff escorted her into the courtroom.
Cadena granted one additional continuance to March 30 and also set a tentative trial date of April 28. Torres informed the court he has a pending criminal case in Dimmit County that could interfere with the April 28 setting, and Cadena instructed him to keep both the court and the district attorney’s office informed of any developments.
Cadena explained the continuance and tentative trial date to Hernandez, who acknowledged understanding. Torres told the court that if an agreement is not reached by March 30, the case will proceed to trial on April 28. Cadena responded, “On the 30th of March, we’re going to go one way or another.”
Hernandez was then escorted out of the courtroom as Cadena continued with the remainder of the docket. Hernandez was arrested June 6, 2024, following an investigation by the Del Rio Police Department. Officers began their investigation early that morning after a passerby reported a person lying in a concrete drainage channel near the roadway in the 1700 block of U.S. Highway 277 in far south Del Rio, an area known locally as Eagle Pass Hill.
Responding officers discovered Calvillo’s body along with vehicle debris in the roadway. After determining the color and type of vehicle involved, police used license plate reader technology to identify a black Jeep Grand Cherokee. Officers later located the vehicle and took Hernandez into custody.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com.
