Man held on $2M bond after allegedly fleeing PD, killing passenger in I-35 crash

A 27-year-old man is facing charges in connection to a head-on crash early Sunday morning on Interstate 35 in southern Johnson County that left a passenger in his vehicle dead.

Johnson County Prosecutors Monday filed a criminal complaint against Matthew Karabas, 27, charging him with first degree murder in the death of his passenger, identified as Eric Diaz, 22, of Melbourne, Florida.

The criminal complaint details a second set of charging options, in which Karabas faces charges of second-degree murder in the death of Diaz, and driving while under the influence that led to the injuries of Samuel Garrido, 29. Garrido was driving a 2024 Freightliner semi truck that Karabas struck head on.

Court documents detail that Karabas was attempting to flee law enforcement at the time of the crash, which happened around 3:18 a.m. as Karabas was going southbound in the northbound lanes of I-35 near Edgerton Road.

Karabas was taken to an area hospital for treatment of serious injuries. The extent of Garrido's injuries were not expected to be life-threatening.

Prosecutors requested Karabas be held on a $2 million bond. He made his initial appearance with a judge via video Monday afternoon.

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