Drunk Driver Kills Three People

Aransas County Attorney’s Office

ROCKPORT, TEXAS (News Release) - On April 17, 2026, an Aransas County Jury sentenced Michael Forsberg, currently 27 years old, to the minimum prison sentence of 2 years for killing three people and causing serious bodily injury to an additional person. The day prior, the Jury found the Defendant guilty of three counts of Intoxication Manslaughter and one count of Intoxication Assault.

The evidence showed that on December 28, 2023, the Defendant was traveling down 16th Street at a high rate of speed. While five other vehicles on surveillance footage took anywhere from 6-10 seconds to travel that same stretch of road, the Defendant took two seconds before “blowing through a stop sign,” as one 911 caller recalled. The Defendant collided with a red SUV containing four individuals – Ulku Kaya, Timothy Greening, Robert Greening III, and Pamela Greening. All four individuals had attended the wedding of Ulku and Timothy approximately 30 hours before the collision.

Due to the collision, Pamela Greening’s neck was broken and she was killed instantly. Jurors watched as Timothy Greening was initially responsive to first responders, but passed away a few minutes later on scene. Timothy Greening had several bone fractures throughout his body, and had many parts of his body crushed and mangled, according to EMS. Robert Greening III was taken to the hospital where he ultimately passed away on January 15, 2024 due to multiple complications caused by the accident. Ulku Kaya was the only survivor from the red SUV. She had a laceration to her liver and injuries to her jaw that required her jaw being wired shut for quite some time.

At the scene, empty alcohol containers were found in the Defendant’s truck, as well as alcohol boxes. All around the Defendant’s truck on scene were multiple closed and open cans matching the boxes in and around the Defendant’s truck. A first responder stated that the Defendant smelled heavily of alcohol while he was transported to the hospital with a head injury after the collision. The Defendant’s blood was drawn at the hospital one hour after the collision. It revealed that the Defendant’s blood alcohol concentration was a .139, well over the legal limit.

At punishment, Ulku Kaya testified, as well as Robert Greening IV, the son and brother of the victims. At punishment, the Defendant testified that he took responsibility for his actions, despite pleading not guilty to the charges. He testified that he has not consumed alcohol since taking the lives of three people.

Defendant, Michael Forsberg.

The maximum sentence for each of the Intoxication Manslaughter charges was 20 years. The maximum sentence for the Intoxication Assault charge was 10 years. The jury deliberated for approximately three hours before choosing to assess the minimum prison sentence for each of the four charges. By default, all four prison sentences would have run concurrently. However, Judge Patrick Flanigan chose to stack the sentences on top of each other, so the two-year sentence handed down by the Jury became an eight-year sentence. The Defendant will only have to serve one-fourth of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.

Timothy Greening died the day after his wedding when he was only 34 years old, and Michael Forsberg will be released from prison before he turns 34 to continue his life with his loved ones.

The Aransas County Attorney’s Office would like to thank the Greening and Kaya families for their strength and patience through this process.

Pictured from left to right: Robert Greening III, Timothy Greening, Ulka Kaya, and Pamela Greening.

Recklessly: A person acts “recklessly,” or is reckless, with respect to circumstances surrounding their conduct or the result of their conduct when they are aware of but consciously disregard a substantial and unjustifiable risk that the circumstances exist or the result will occur. The risk must be of such a nature and degree that its disregard constitutes a gross deviation from the standard of care that an ordinary person would exercise under all the circumstances viewed from the actor’s standpoint.

Sentencing at Trial: If a case proceeds to trial the defendant chooses if the Judge or Jury assess punishment. Sentencing from a Judge or Jury can be harder to predict, and the defendant can receive a longer or shorter sentence than they would have in a plea agreement

Consecutively: The sentences are served after the previous sentence has been completed - this is also referred to as stacking.

Concurrently: The sentences are served at the same time for the amount of the longest sentence.