KAUFMAN COUNTY, TEXAS — A Florida truck driver who fell asleep behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler on Interstate 20 in June 2025 and caused a chain-reaction crash that killed five people has pleaded guilty and accepted a 20-year prison sentence, after which he will be deported to Cuba.

Alexis Osmani Gonzalez-Companioni, 27, of Kissimmee, Florida, pleaded guilty Thursday in Kaufman County to five counts of manslaughter and four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. As part of the plea, he will serve 20 years in prison. Because he is not a U.S. citizen, he will be deported to Cuba upon his release.

The Crash

In June 2025, Gonzalez-Companioni was driving an 18-wheeler westbound on I-20 in Kaufman County when he fell asleep at the wheel. Traffic ahead had slowed due to a separate crash. His rig slammed into a pickup truck carrying five people, pushing it into two other semi-trucks. One of those semis jackknifed and struck three nearby passenger vehicles.

Four of the five occupants of the pickup truck died at the scene. A fifth was airlifted to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. One occupant of another struck vehicle also died. Two additional people were injured but expected to recover.

Gonzalez-Companioni was arrested at the scene after telling officials he had fallen asleep at the wheel. A Kaufman County grand jury indicted him in August 2025.

All parties have been adjudicated in this case.

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