Texas Tech creates memorial scholarship to honor Seth Rains, who was killed in a Dallas hit-and-run

DALLAS, Texas — A Dallas family is finding light in the dark after the death of their son, Seth Rains.

Texas Tech University has created a new annual scholarship in memory of the 23-year-old graduate, who was struck and killed by a driver while walking home from a concert with friends in the Dallas Design District in July 2025.

Police said Jose Hernandez De Leon left the scene but was later charged with collision involving death, a second-degree felony.

Rains earned his degree in personal financial planning from Texas Tech in 2024. Last week, his parents returned to Lubbock as the university unveiled the Seth Rains Memorial Scholarship, worth up to $25,000, for students pursuing the same career path.

“There are moments in life where words fall short, and today is one of those,” his father said. “It brings comfort beyond measure and pride that we’re here today.”

The scholarship will support students who share Rains’ qualities — those who study financial planning, maintain a GPA above 2.65, stay active in their community, and, as his mother said, “want to help people.”

But even as the family celebrated, heartbreak lingers. The suspect in Rains’ death has bonded out of jail, and his parents said they’ve now filed a civil lawsuit against him.

“It’s an uneasy feeling knowing that guy is out on the streets,” his mother said. “He could do this to someone else.”

Still, for a family drained by loss, the moment in Lubbock brought something rare — a bit of peace.

“His scholarship will be given to a deserving individual in Seth’s name,” his father said. “It’s a very humble feeling to be supported in that way with his life.”