Benitez-Santana, a criminal repeat offender, will likely be deported after spending time behind bars. Judge Karen Moore scheduled his sentencing for July 2 at 1 pm. Benitez-Santana has remained in Snohomish County custody since the tragedy occurred on March 2, 2024.
During closing arguments, prosecutors asked the jury to render a guilty verdict, claiming that the evidence presented to the Court to convict Benitez-Santana was "overwhelming."
"Mr. Benitez-Santana was exactly the sort of driver that Trooper Gadd was looking for," Snohomish County Prosecutor Tobin Darrow told the Court, according to Komo News reporter Jeremy Harris. "That was specifically his purpose; that was his duty. Mr. Benitez-Santana ran into and killed Trooper Gadd before he could take action to enforce the law."
Gadd left behind his wife and 2-year-old daughter. His father is also a Washington State Patrol Trooper. Chief John Batiste of the Washington State Patrol released a statement following the verdict, thanking the community for their outpouring support for the fallen trooper.
"The jury's unanimous verdicts of guilty of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault are just and welcomed. With this decision, one more dangerous driver is removed from our streets, something Christopher Gadd dedicated his life to doing with every shift, by committing himself to conducting 'one more stop' on every day he served as a Washington State Trooper," said Chief Batiste. "While the verdict does not take away the pain of losing Chris, it does offer a modicum of relief for those who served with and loved this fine young man...We will never forget Trooper Chris Gadd."
On March 2, 2024, Benitez-Santana went on a date and had a few drinks before he entered his vehicle and proceeded to drive intoxicated. Prosecutors told the jury that Benitez-Santana struck Trooper Gadd's vehicle parked on the I-5 shoulder near Marysville, Washington, at 107 mph, killing him on impact. While detained in custody, the defendant admitted to authorities that he had also smoked marijuana before the crash, according to bodycam footage submitted to the Court.
Benitez-Santana's defense team argued to the Court that the amount of alcohol and marijuana consumed did not impair him while driving. "It is legal to drive after you've had drinks. It is legal to drive after you've used marijuana," said public defender Emily Hancock during closing arguments. "He was speeding, he turned his turn signal on, he changed lanes, he turned his turn signal on again as he moved into the shoulder. Raul did not have a BAC over .08, he was not impaired by marijuana. Mistaking the shoulder for a lane is not reckless; that is a mistake."
During the trial, prosecutors and defense attorneys argued about the validity of blood test vials. According to Komo News, the defense side maintained that Benitez-Santana's blood vials were improperly stored, while prosecutors argued that both blood samples indicated a blood-alcohol percentage above the legal limit.
On the eve of trial, Benitez-Santana's defense team filed a motion to dismiss the case on claims that prosecutors illegally collaborated with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in violation of the state's sanctuary statute. Judge Karen Moore ruled against the defense and allowed the case to proceed. ICE agents were stationed at the courthouse to take Benitez-Santana if the judge ruled to dismiss the case.
ICE ERO Seattle immediately placed an immigration detainer on Benitez-Santana following his 2024 arrest, and the Department of Homeland Security ordered him to be removed from the United States, as The Post Millennial previously reported.
Benitez-Santana has a lengthy criminal history that he racked up while illegally residing in the state. In August 2017, he was arrested on domestic violence assault charges. According to court records, the newly convicted killer repeatedly punched his girlfriend, breaking her nose in the physical attack. Benitez-Santana was sentenced in 2019 to two years of probation and to undergo behavioral therapy for the attack, court filings show.
Additionally, Benitez-Santana was charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession in 2013, was convicted of driving with a suspended or revoked license in 2013 and again in 2014, according to court documents.
Benitez-Santana's family did not attend the trial out of fear of deportation, his defense team told the Court. The jurors were not told his immigration status during the trial.
