A Texas woman is facing a murder charge after police say she confessed to running over her husband with her SUV — admitting she was drunk and only meant to “hit but not kill” him.

Witnesses Saw Everything

Authorities in Pasadena, just southeast of Houston, say 38-year-old Alina Gonzalez-Morelos turned herself in early Monday morning, one day after her husband, 42-year-old Leonardo Mendoza, was fatally struck. Mendoza had been found lying in a parking lot off Red Bluff Road around 3:30 a.m. Sunday after an eyewitness reported seeing a black Chevrolet Tahoe jump a curb and plow into him. “[The witness] stated that he had seen a black Tahoe exit the roadway, jump the curb, and strike the male that was walking through the parking lot,” Pasadena Police Officer Darby Slack told ABC13. “The vehicle left the scene.”

She Didn’t Mean To Kill Her Husband

When officers arrived, Mendoza was still alive but critically injured. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died. Police said Gonzalez-Morelos came to the station voluntarily later that day and confessed. Investigators say she admitted to driving drunk after returning home from a party and getting into an argument with her husband. “As far as we know, there were just some marital issues going on,” Officer Slack said. “She’d come home around 2 o’clock that morning. The children overheard them having an argument inside of the room. He exited, and she followed.” According to police, that confrontation spilled outside, ending with Gonzalez-Morelos behind the wheel of her SUV. Investigators say she told them she “meant to hit, but not kill” her husband — a statement that, despite her apparent remorse, could carry serious legal consequences.

No One Expected This To Happen

Gonzalez-Morelos was arrested and charged with murder. Court records show she appeared in Harris County Court on Monday, where prosecutors outlined the allegations. She remains in the Harris County Jail as of Tuesday. Neighbors told local outlets that the couple had lived in the Pasadena area for years and were raising children together. “You never expect something like that,” one neighbor told KHOU. “They always seemed like a regular family.”

A Tragic Situation

Police have not said whether the children witnessed the incident, but they were reportedly home at the time of the argument. The Pasadena Police Department says the investigation is ongoing, and they are awaiting toxicology reports. “This was a tragic situation,” he said. “It’s a choice that can’t be undone.” If convicted, Gonzalez-Morelos faces the possibility of life in prison. Mendoza’s family has not yet released a public statement.