Man indicted in deadly crash that killed 26-year-old Austin woman

Editor's note: This video is from previous coverage of this case. AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A grand jury has indicted Jaheim Neal on manslaughter and intoxication manslaughter charges in connection with a November 2025 crash that killed 26-year-old Larissa Herold. The crash happened at the intersection of Parmer Lane and Mopac Expressway. Herold's father, Thomas, said his daughter was on her way home from doing some volunteer work at a community garden. Investigators said Neal had a blood alcohol level of 0.12 and was under the influence of cocaine and marijuana at the time of the crash. Police also said he was speeding and driving without a valid license. The grand jury believed he "recklessly cause[d]" Herold's death "by operating a motor vehicle with knowledge that the brakes were not functioning properly, by becoming distracted while operating a motor vehicle by using a cell phone, by leaving a designated lane of travel, by failing to sufficiently apply brakes, by failing to maintain a proper lookout, and by operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol," according to the indictment. Neal was out of jail on deferred adjudication at the time of the crash on an aggravated kidnapping charge from 2020 that ended in a plea deal. Deferred adjudication is similar to probation. A suspect has to follow certain conditions for a specified period of time – in Neal’s case, it was eight years – and if they follow those conditions, the case gets dismissed. As far as how that previous case could impact this current one, attorney Alan Bennet - who offered third-party legal insight - said "the law is specific about not wanting a jury or judge to be prejudiced by someone's prior criminal conduct." Bennet explained that a defendant's criminal history typically does not come up during the "guilt and innocence phase" of a trial - though there are exceptions. The "guilt and innocence" phase is the portion of a trial where a jury determines if someone is guilty or not guilty. In the subsequent phase, the "punishment phase," a judge or jury determines how long of a sentence a defendant should serve within the specified punishment range. The punishment ranges for Neal's charges are 2-20 years. During that portion of the trial, Bennet said prior charges and convictions can play a pivotal role. "It's fair game," he said. "Any prior bad act, with convictions or not, are admissible for the jury so that they can make the most accurate decision as to the applicable punishment." Neal's attorney has not returned requests for comment. KXAN will update this story if that changes. Neal's next court proceeding is set for next week.