Grinning Texas teen charged with intoxication manslaughter after ‘killing family of six in wrong-way crash while high at Christmas’

A Texas teenager is accused of driving under the influence when he crashed headfirst into oncoming traffic, killing a family of six the day after Christmas.

Luke Garrett Resecker, 18, grinned in a new mugshot as he was charged with six counts of intoxication manslaughter, as investigators say he was under the influence of THC — the active ingredient in marijuana — at the time.

He is also charged with DUI, possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana, according to Law and crime.

The horror crash led to the deaths of Rushil Barri, 28; Nageswararao Ponnada, 64; Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada, 60; Naveena Potabathula, 36; Krithik Potabathula, 10; and Nishidha Potabathula, 9.

A seventh victim, Lokesh Potabuthala, 43, suffered serious injuries but survived the tragedy. The family, originally from India, was visiting relatives in Texas.

Lokesh Potabathula, 43, (rear, yellow T-shirt) was the only survivor of the crash. He lost his wife Naveena Potabathula, 36 (second from right); her parents Nageswararao Ponnada, 64 (second from left); and Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada, 60 (front); and his children, Krithik Potabathula, 10 (far right), and Nishidha Potabathula, 9 (far left), next to his cousin

Rushil Barri, 28, was driving the family home in his Honda Odyssey after a day out at the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center when they were struck and killed in a head-on collision

Resecker was allegedly driving under the influence of THC when his white Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck drove into oncoming traffic and collided with the family’s minivan.

When the crash occurred on Dec. 26, 2023, Resecker was driving along US 67 with a friend in his white Chevrolet Silverado pickup, and police said they found marijuana and a marijuana vape pen in the vehicle.

A blood test also reportedly tested positive for THC.

He allegedly drove across the double yellow line of an undivided highway before colliding head-on with the family’s Honda Odyssey minivan.

The family tried to swerve out of his path, but were unable to get out of the way in time before meeting each other on the highway.

Resecker’s passenger was reportedly not wearing a seatbelt at the time, but survived the crash and was airlifted to the hospital.

The sole survivor of the minibus, Lokesh Potabuthala, was also reportedly not wearing a seat belt, but no passengers were ejected from either vehicle.

Helicopter rescue teams airlifted the survivors to nearby hospitals, including Resecker, and he was initially listed in critical condition.

Due to the 18-year-old’s injuries, a spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety told the Dallas Morning News that he was not considered “medically fit” to be held at the jail.

The horror crash nearly wiped out the family of seven, with victims including two children: Krithik Potabathula, 10; and Nishidha Potabathula, 9

The family was said to have been visiting relatives in Texas at the time and was returning from a day trip to a nature center when they were killed.

Barri, 28, had moved to Texas from India in August 2020. The other family members lived in Alpharetta, Georgia

This prompted a judge to place him under house arrest and order that he be fitted with a GPS monitor, and he later posted a $50,000 bond to remain confined to his home and avoid jail.

The surviving member of the family lost his wife, son, daughter, mother-in-law, father-in-law and nephew. At the time, 11Alive reported that he lost his sight in the crash and may never walk again.

According to a GoFundMe from the time, he was hospitalized in “critical condition and underwent multiple surgeries as he suffered a deep intestinal injury and several fractures throughout his body, including spine, ribs and limbs.”

His cousin, Rushil Barri, 28, was driving the minivan at the time and the family was returning from a trip to the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center.

Barri moved to the US from India in August 2020 and settled in Texas: the remaining family members lived in Alpharetta, Georgia.

The surviving member of the family lost his wife, son, daughter, mother-in-law, father-in-law and cousin, and suffered serious injuries including a deep intestinal injury and several fractures all over his body including spine, ribs. and limbs

The two heavily damaged vehicles – a Honda Odyssey and a Chevrolet pickup – are seen after the crash on US 67 in Johnson County, Texas

Speaking to NBC News after the crash, Barri’s roommate Ayyappala Bandaru said a message was sent from his friend’s iPhone at 4:01 p.m., stating that the phone was registering a crash.

“We were in shock, just like what had just happened,” Bandaru said.

“We’ve tried to reach everyone in the car, but no one is answering.”

He said Barri was ambitious and driven.

“We were like brothers,” Bandaru said. “He actually looks like my brother here.

‘He had very big dreams. He always thought about tomorrow. He used to say, ‘Man, we gotta rule this world.’

“We came here with a lot of struggle.”