Domenick Chavez, the 33-year-old driver who killed original Dixie Chicks singer Laura Lynch in a 2023 accident, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after cutting a plea agreement with prosecutors.
The accident took place on Dec. 23, 2023, when Chavez — who was driving on a suspended license stemming from two DUI’s — collided with Lynch’s car when trying to pass four vehicles on a two-way undivided highway in El Paso, Texas. An investigation revealed that Chavez hadn’t been drinking, but his car did reach speeds of 106 to 114 miles per hour. The accident caused Lynch’s 2016 F-150 pickup truck to catch on fire. She died from the injuries.
“The death of Ms. Lynch caused profound sadness for her family, the Dell City community, and all those who appreciated her music,” El Paso District Attorney James Montoya said in a statement. “It is a loss made more acute by the fact that it happened just days before Christmas. Our office will continue to hold accountable those defendants who choose to drive in an extremely dangerous manner.”
Lynch co-founded the Dixie Chicks in 1989 alongside Robin Lynn Macy, Emily Strayer, and Martie Maguire. The original quartet released their debut LP Thank Heavens for Dale Evans in 1990, and followed it up with Little Ol’ Cowgirl in 1992. They parted ways with Macy that year, and carried on as a trio in 1993 with Shouldn’t a Told You That.
Their first album as a trio generated enough attention that the group was invited to play at Bill Clinton’s inaugural ball. But the group let Lynch go two years later, and replaced her with Natalie Maines. “We were facing going on our seventh year, we were starting to re-evaluate things,” Maguire told The Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 1996. “We were making a future decision … What do we want to do in the future, where do we want to be in five years? I don’t think Laura really saw herself on the road five years from now.”
At the time, Lynch was 37 years old and raising a teenager. Strayer and Maguire were well over a decade younger. “The group’s called the Dixie Chicks,” Lynch told the Dallas Morning News in 1995. “When I was out there on the road having a bad day, it was awfully hard to be a Chick … I have a 14-year-old daughter, and I’m looking forward to spending more time with her.”
The Dixie Chicks, who shortened their name to the Chicks in 2020, became one of the biggest country acts in America once Maines joined up with them. They didn’t stay close to Lynch after the split, but they did release a statement after she died looking back at the good times.
“We hold a special place in our hearts for the time we spent playing music, laughing and traveling together,” they wrote. “Laura was a bright light … her infectious energy and humor gave a spark to the early days of our band. Laura had a gift for design, a love of all things Texas and was instrumental in the early success of the band. Her undeniable talents helped propel us beyond busking on street corners to stages all across Texas and the mid-West.”
