OVERTON, Texas — Jace Taylor loved mudding, hunting, bonfires and his 1-year-old daughter Ansley.
"That was his pride and joy," said Jace's mother, Melissa Taylor. "And after he passed away we learned that his girlfriend is pregnant with this baby that he never got to know about."
Jace's girlfriend, Kayla Smith, is due with the couple's second child in September.
Ever since the 22-year-old was killed following a crash on Jan. 12, his loved ones say they’ve felt like they’re living a nightmare.
“Why my son?," asked Melissa. "Why did he have to die? He was so young and had so much to live for.”
“He was more than my best friend. He was like my brother,” Jace's best friend, Trevor Baker, said.
Jace was a passenger in a vehicle that was driving down State Highway 31 East when the car broke down. That's when officials say Gary Nichols, 40, struck the car as he headed the same way. The wreck killed Jace and injured three others.
Jace's family shared a Facebook Live video with CBS19 they say was posted by Nichols while he was in his vehicle shortly before the crash. The video reportedly shows Nichols with an empty liquor bottle in his lap saying he drank it and was about to drive to Longview.
"He took my son because he thought alcohol was more important than my son's life," Melissa said. "You should never get behind the wheel and drink and drive. If you're going to drink stay home. He took something from me that I'll never get back."
She pleaded with others not to drink and drive, but said she’s able to find some peace because she still has Ansley and another grandchild on the way.
Jace’s funeral was held Tuesday at the East Texas Funeral Home in Longview.
Nichols was booked into the Smith County Jail on a charge of intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle and a warrant out of Rusk County for failing to comply with his duty to register as a sex offender.
His bond his set at $1,025,000.