OAN Staff Abril Elfi
11:51 AM – Thursday, June 5, 2025
An Illegal immigrant has been found guilty of a DUI crash that resulted in the death of a state trooper.
On Tuesday, a Snohomish County jury found Raul Benitez-Santana, 33, guilty of vehicular assault and vehicular homicide — in connection with the death of Washington State Patrol Trooper Christopher Gadd.
In March 2024, Gadd, 27, was driving in his cruiser when he was hit by a speeding car going over 100 mph.
According to a report by Fox News, Benitez-Santana was under the influence at the time of the crash. He admitted to drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana before jumping in his vehicle.
Benitez-Santana had reportedly swerved across the road before colliding into the back end of Gadd’s police car, which was parked on the shoulder. The 27-year-old police officer had been looking for speeding drivers at the time when he was hit, and he died in what became a “three-vehicle accident” on Interstate 5.
Following his arrest, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) filed a detainer request with Snohomish County Jail for Benitez-Santana, a Mexican national.
On October 28, 2013, Benitez-Santana was first encountered by immigration agents after being arrested for failing to appear in court after driving with a suspended license.
Then, in May 2013, he was also sentenced to 90 days in prison, 87 of which were suspended, after being found in possession of marijuana.
In addition, on October 6, 2014, Santana was sentenced to 90 days in prison for driving with a suspended license.
Lastly, in May 2019, he was detained once more for a domestic violence assault.
His sentencing is scheduled for July 2nd.
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