EVERETT — A jury found a man accused of killing a Washington State Patrol officer last year guilty of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault Wednesday.
The 12-person jury reached its decision against 34-year-old Raul Benitez Santana after four hours of deliberation.
The jury also affirmed special verdicts on both counts that Benitez Santana was under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs. His sentencing is set for 1 p.m. July 2.
The trial before Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Karen Moore began May 23.
On March 2, 2024, Benitez Santana was involved in a crash that killed 27-year-old Trooper Chris Gadd.
Deputy prosecutors Tobin Darrow and Isaac Wells III presented the case on behalf of the state. Defense attorneys Emily Hancock and Tiffany Mecca represented Benitez Santana.
Just before 3 a.m., Gadd was on patrol, parked on the northbound shoulder of I-5 near Marysville. Benitez Santana, on his way back from a bar in Mount Vernon, merged his black SUV into the shoulder, slamming into Gadd’s patrol vehicle. The impact killed Gadd nearly instantly, prosecutors said.
During closing arguments Wednesday, prosecutors said Benitez Santana was clearly impaired and was driving recklessly. Data from the SUV’s event recorder indicated Benitez Santana was traveling at 112 mph just before the crash, court documents said. His blood-alcohol content was 0.083 and he had 3.4 nanograms of THC in his system, according to a blood test taken within two hours of the crash.
The defense questioned the accuracy of the blood test. Benitez Santana cooperated with law enforcement throughout the entire process and did not seem impaired, they said.
Gadd had the headlights off on his patrol car, which prosecutors said is a common practice officers use to catch dangerous drivers before they see a law enforcement presence. The defense said the patrol car was nearly invisible because its headlights were turned off. Shortly after Benitez Santana struck the car, a sleep-deprived worker driving a white U.S. Navy van also hit the car, the defense said.
In May, Hancock and Mecca filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing prosecutors violated state sanctuary laws by disclosing Benitez Santana’s immigration status to federal authorities. In court filings, deputy prosecutor Amanda Campbell said a member of her office sent two emails that violated the law, and it was a “misunderstanding.” Moore dismissed the defense’s motion, saying the prosecution’s conduct didn’t meet the threshold to dismiss the case.
Gadd joined the Washington State Patrol in 2021. He was stationed in Yakima County. He is survived by his daughter and his father, who is also a trooper. Last year, hundreds of law enforcement officers attended his public memorial in Everett.
Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.
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