A young man accused of killing six members of a Hidalgo County family while fleeing state troopers in a stolen truck was officially charged with six counts of murder Thursday.
Hector Ramirez, 18, of Roma was ordered to remain in custody without bond while he awaits trial during an arraignment hearing held shortly after his release from the hospital for injuries suffered during the fatal wreck.
Investigators allege Ramirez was speeding through the rural roads Monday northwest of Alton in an attempt to escape pursuing troopers, when he struck a Chevrolet Suburban driven by Jose Luis Ortiz, 55, of Penitas.
The impact shaved the roof off of Ortiz's vehicle and killed six members of the family inside, including four young children.
A fifth child, 3, survived and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
At the time of Monday's crash, Ramirez was out on a $30,000 bond for a separate offense involving another stolen car.
Mission police arrested him Aug. 5 as he allegedly attempted to drive a stolen Jeep across the Roma-Ciudad Miguel Aleman International Bridge.
It was not clear late Thursday whether Ramirez had retained an attorney in either case.
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