Family rallying for justice against DWI suspect after man killed

CONROE, Texas (FOX 26) - The family of a man killed by a suspected drunk driver is rallying at the courthouse in Montgomery County where they are seeking justice.  

The woman charged with running over and killing 33-year-old Brian Vines, Kristina Hardin, has actually been charged with Driving While Intoxicated previously. This time Vines' family members say they want her punished to the fullest extent.

"It’s time for this to stop,” says Vines’ brother Larry Vines.  Rallying outside the courthouse, holding pictures of their loved one, relatives say they'll be here every step of the way to make sure 27-year-old Kristina Hardin serves serious time.

“We just don’t want to see her get away or a slap on the wrist because she killed him,” says Vines’ sister Cynthia Ash. 

It happened two weeks ago at 2:30 p.m. on a Tuesday. Vines was walking with two women on the shoulder of East Davis Street and Montgomery County Sheriff's investigators say Hardin was driving while intoxicated and smashed into the group.

”All I know is I heard a sound and he was laying there on the ground,” cries Vines’ girlfriend Candace Mullins. 

"I heard the crunch of the car hitting him and then she fell over.  He was stuck to the front of the car for a while.  When he fell onto the ground I immediately rushed over to him but he was messed up really bad,” says Ashley Slater who has a 3-month-old baby girl with Vines.

Vines is the father of two sons ages 16 and 7.  He also leaves behind 3-month-old Bailey.  “He got to meet her but she didn’t get to know him,” says Slater who is Bailey’s mom. 

"We tried to get a fingerprint (from him) so we could make a little charm for Bailey and they (the medical examiner) couldn’t even retrieve one fingerprint off of him.  The closure of seeing him was taken away from us,” says Ash.  

Hardin actually has quite a criminal record including drug possession and a DWI from August 2014. 

"His death was tragic. He died in a very tragic way.  I hope by bringing this forward with the press it brings awareness and maybe people will think,” says Larry Vines.   

Hardin is out of jail on a $100,000 bond.  In court, she agreed to have her driving privileges taken away while awaiting trial.  She’s charged with Intoxication Manslaughter and Tampering with Evidence.  If found guilty the punishment range for Hardin is from as little as probation up to 20 years in prison. She’ll be back in court October 31, 2018.

Prosecutor Andrew James came outside where the family was rallying to assure them everything possible is being done so they can have justice.