Opening statements begin in the trial against people who are charged with the crash of WSP Trooper

Everett – For the State Washington, Christopher Gadd, the early morning hours of March 2, 2024, like any other, began: routine patrol that made traffic stops and scanned the interstate for impaired drivers.

He often worked with his patrol car “darkened” – headlights, but the engine race – to recognize dangerous drivers before they saw themselves.

Shortly before 3 a.m. he drove to the shoulder towards the north of the I-5 near Marysville and parked in the dark.

In the meantime, Raul Benitez Santana drove home from Mount Vernon after a first date. According to the public prosecutor, he had some drinks and had food in a bar called Draft Picks Pub. He accelerated.

When he merged in his shoulder, brake lights seemed too late in front of him. Prosecutors say that there is not enough time to react.

His black SUV slammed into his back in Gadd's patrol car. The power of the collision crushed the cruiser into a “C” form, said the prosecutors. The 27 -year -old GADD was killed by the effects.

On Friday, the 34 -year -old Benitez Santana was released in the Snohomish County Court of Justice for murder and vehicles for vehicle murder. Opening statements marked the beginning of a three -week procedure in front of the judge of the Supreme Court of Snohomish County, Karen D. Moore.

“This was a routine evening – until it wasn't,” said the deputy prosecutor Tobin Darrow to the jury.

Darrow said Benitez Santana claimed that he only had a drink around 10 p.m., but surveillance material from the bar seemed to show more: two beers, a mixed drink and a shot. A blood test, which was carried out within two hours after the crash, measured its blood alcohol content at 0.083-Knapp above the statutory limit and discovered 3.4 nanograms THC.

At the time of the crash, Gadd was parked for about two minutes, said Darrow.

“The power of the impact killed the Trooper Gadd almost immediately. It caused severe breaks in the back of his skull,” said Darrow.

Data from the vehicle's event recorder showed that the SUV drove 112 miles per hour shortly before the crash, and the accelerator pedal was almost completely depressed, according to court documents.

Benitez Santana appeared in court on Friday and wore a light blue, buttes shirt. The courtroom was full of media and spectators. He was sitting with defender Tiffany Mecca and Emily Hancock. The deputy public prosecutor's office Darrow and Isaac Wells represented the state.

Mecca opened the defense by describing the crash as the “series of unfortunate circumstances” – no crime.

“In the dark early morning hours … one of the darkest routes of the I-5 … led to a tragic accident,” said Mecca.

She argued that Gadd's vehicle had not warned of other drivers and was effectively invisible in the dark. Moments after the first crash also hit the disabled SUV of Benitez Santana by a sleep -related worker van der Weißen Navy.

Mecca claimed that her client was cooperative and not affected. She questioned the integrity of the blood test and pointed out coordination problems in the investigation, which was directed by the Sheriff office and not to state patrol.

“This was a tragic accident,” said Mecca. “But it wasn't a crime.”

At the beginning of this week, Moore filed a defense request to dismiss the case. Hancock and Mecca argued that the public prosecutor had violated Washington's protection laws of Benitez Santana's immigration status of the federal authorities. The deputy prosecutor Amanda Campbell admitted that a member of her office sent two e -mails against the law, citing a “misunderstanding”.

Moore found that the state's behavior did not meet the threshold to reject the case and speculatively described the claims of the defense for prejudices.

Trooper Gadd joined the patrol in 2021 and was stationed in Yakima County. He is survived by his daughter and father, who also serves as a soldier. A public monument in Everett attracted hundreds of law enforcement officers from all over the region last year.

The attempt should run until June 6th.

Aspen Anderson: 425-339-3192; Aspen.anderson@heraldnet.com; X: @Aspens hiking.