GALVESTON, Texas — On Sept. 2, 2022, Reid Nelson’s whole world was turned upside down by a drunk driver who killed his teenage son and another boy.
Video showed Keith Brazier speeding when he ran a red light at the intersection of 41st Street and Avenue O in Galveston and crashed into a Jeep killing Mason Nelson and Sam Mixon, both 14.
Editor’s note: The video above originally aired in 2023 after the trial.
A girl in the victims’ car suffered severe head trauma but survived.
Brazier, then 28, had been released from prison on parole less than eight hours before the deadly crash. He had been serving time for his third DWI conviction in five years.
Investigators determined Brazier was drunk again when he killed the teens on their way home from baseball practice at Ball High School. His blood-alcohol content was .217, nearly three times the legal limit.
A witness in Brazier’s car said they had visited several bars on Galveston Island that day. He said Brazier was kicked out of a bar about an hour before the crash.
The families were stunned when they learned Brazier’s criminal history.
“There are a lot of people out there who’ve been given chance after chance. Where does it end?” Nelson asked this week. “And in this guy’s case, it ended with killing my son and another kid I consider my son, and seriously damaging another beautiful young girl.”
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Grieving father fights for change
State Rep. Terri Leo Wilson of Galveston has introduced a bill that would create tougher laws for repeat DWI offenders in Texas like Brazier.
Reid Nelson went to Austin on Wednesday to urge legislators to pass House Bill 1482.
HB 1482 key elements
- Stricter Supervision & Parole Rules: This would expand the list of offenses that make a defendant ineligible for community supervision (probation) or parole.
- Repeat Intoxication Offenders Affected: Individuals convicted at least twice for certain intoxication-related offenses, including DWI and intoxication manslaughter, will no longer qualify for community supervision.
- Other Serious Crimes Included: The bill aligns repeat intoxication offenses with other serious crimes such as murder, sexual assault, human trafficking, and aggravated robbery in terms of parole eligibility.
“I personally can’t imagine anyone with a soul being against this,” Nelson told the lawmakers. “In terms of the people that it’s going to affect — when you’ve got your fourth incidence of DUI, that’s not a mistake, that’s a pattern.”
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Four employees of the Galveston Police Department also testified in favor of the bill.
Others advocated for accessible treatment — not further incarceration.
“While it’s important to hold people accountable who commit alcohol-related offenses, we do not believe that subjecting them to what will effectively be mandatory minimum sentences is the solution to a substance abuse disorder,” Kirsten Budwine with the Texas Civil Rights Project testified.
When a different version of the bill was introduced in 2023, Nelson also went to Austin to testify. He was frustrated when the bill failed to pass. He’s more hopeful this time around.
“It’s a strong bill. And I don’t know whether that’s because of any rewrite or because of just the changing nature of of the politics in Austin, but I’m hearing that it has a good chance,” Nelson said before leaving for Austin. “And that is the reason why I’ve just agreed to go back even though I had after the last time said I wasn’t ever gonna go back.”
Here’s a good quote from the opposition, who advocated for accessible treatment — not further incarceration.
‘Both boys are still serving a purpose’
The crash that killed Mason and Sam also led to a change in Galveston.
Police Chief Doug Balli said the crash had a profound impact on the first responders who rushed to the scene.
“This horrific tragedy claimed the lives of two of Galveston’s children,” Balli said at the time of the crash. “It has forever impacted all of the families involved and our island community continues to mourn.”
RELATED: ‘Our hearts mourn’ | Galveston ISD remembers student killed in apparent DWI crash
Not long after the crash, the police department formed a new traffic unit to crack down on drunk drivers. Since then, they’ve made hundreds of arrests.
“Galveston has always been kind of considered Houston’s playground, and now the people have to be concerned that coming down here is not going to be as easy as it was to get away with drinking and driving at least,” Nelson said.
No matter what happens with HB 1482, Nelson said he will continue his mission to make sure the deaths of Mason and Sam weren’t in vain.
“I do believe that both of the boys are still serving a purpose. They may not be doing it here, but I do feel like they are still impacting people’s lives,” he said.
In 2023, Brazier pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 50 years in prison.
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