A man in Randall County this past week has been sentenced to life in prison following his conviction of driving while intoxicated (3rd or more).
According to court records, the case stems from a traffic stop in August 2025, after a Texas DPS trooper observed Raymundo Ayala commit multiple traffic violations which resulted in a traffic stop. The trooper testified that a search warrant was obtained and found that Ayala had a Blood Alcohol Concentration of 0.213.
During the trial, the jury was informed that Ayala had 11 prior DWI convictions and was previously sentenced on six of those offenses. Due to a history of felonies, a12-time offender can receive an increased punishment range from 25 years to life in prison under the states habitual offender laws.
According to state DWI laws, there is no statute of limitations and entire driving criminal history can be used for enhancements, and a DWI reaching a third-degree felony or third offense can ban be enhanced.
Once a DWI reaches a third-degree felony (typically the third offense), subsequent convictions can be enhanced further based on the broader criminal history. There are currently 21 people serving life sentences in Texas for DWI convictions.