CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A year after Alejandra Franco was killed in a crash outside her home, the man accused in her death has accepted a plea deal. But as her family shared their pain in court, they made it clear they don't believe the sentence fits the loss they've suffered.
On Sept. 11, 2025, Franco was getting into her car outside her home on Ruth Street when a red pickup, driven by Enrique Cisneros, hit a black truck traveling in the opposite direction before striking Franco. The impact sent her parked SUV into a driveway. Franco was 78 years old. Her family says her disabled husband watched from the porch, unable to reach her to help.
Police believed Cisneros was experiencing a medical emergency while driving.
On Wednesday, visiting Judge Joe Longoria accepted Cisneros' plea deal. He received a two-year state jail sentence for criminally negligent homicide, along with seven years of deferred adjudication on a separate assault of a peace officer charge. As the judge read out the sentence, he repeatedly mixed up the amount of time.
Through a translator, Cisneros apologized to Franco's family and asked for their forgiveness. But her family made it clear they don't believe the outcome reflects the life they lost.
One of Franco's sons addressed the court directly.
"My mother was not just a victim, or a file case, she was a daughter, a mother, a friend, a sister. She was the kind of person to help someone with no hesitation," he said.
Franco's granddaughter also spoke, directing her words at Cisneros.
"When he killed my grandma, you stole the person who shaped who I am today. She sacrificed everything to raise me and you took her away in an instant of complete selfishness. I want you to look at me and realize that your actions destroyed an entire family," she said.
The family also questioned whether the sentence reflected the lifelong grief they say they'll carry.
"You walked away with a slap on the wrist while our family has been handed a lifetime sentence of grief," Franco's brother-in-law said.
The defense attorney said she believes the outcome led her client to accept responsibility, even if others don't see it that way.
"I just want to say that this was a result that I believe, while not fair in a lot of people's eyes as far as the justice system is concerned, I think that it was a sentence that resulted in my client accepting responsibility. That's all I can say," she said.
The family told KRIS 6 News they were unhappy with the deal from the start. For them, the case may be reaching a legal conclusion, but the loss of Alejandra Franco is something they'll continue to live with.
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