Robert Gene Culpepper, 24, has been ordered to serve a 20-year prison sentence following a probation violation related to a 2023 manslaughter case.
Culpepper was initially serving a 10-year deferred adjudication probation, granted in June 2025 by 202nd District Judge John Tidwell, for the manslaughter of 66-year-old Linda Faye Reed. The fatal incident occurred on December 18, 2023, when Culpepper, allegedly racing co-defendant Christopher Wayne Daniel on State Line Avenue, struck Reed’s Honda Accord as she crossed from E. 9th Street. Deferred adjudication would have allowed Culpepper to avoid a final conviction if probation terms were met.
However, the 20-year prison term was imposed by Judge Tidwell in January 2026 after Culpepper violated his probation less than six months later. The violation involved an arrest for reckless driving during a road rage incident in Henderson County, Texas, which reportedly involved an off-duty school district police chief.
Evidence from the 2023 crash showed Culpepper’s uninsured Chevrolet Silverado, equipped with a performance enhancer and radar detector, reached 74 mph in a 40 mph zone. The prosecution also highlighted a history of Culpepper recording himself driving recklessly, including an instance of exceeding 110 mph while filming, and a record of 11 prior traffic violations.
