Illegal immigrant convicted in 100 mph DUI crash that killed Washington state trooper

Jurors in Washington state delivered a guilty verdict against an illegal immigrant accused of killing a state trooper last year. 

Raul Benitez-Santana, 33, was found guilty of vehicular assault and vehicular homicide in connection with the death of Washington State Patrol Trooper Christopher Gadd.

Gadd, 27, was killed when his cruiser was hit by a speeding car in March 2024 at more than 100 mph. 

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Benitez-Santana was under the influence at the time of the crash, and admitted to drinking and smoking marijuana before driving, Fox Seattle reported. 

He was swerving across the road before slamming into the rear end of Gadd's vehicle, which was parked on the shoulder. Gadd was watching for speeding and DUI drivers, when he was struck and killed in a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 5.

After his arrest, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a detainer request with Snohomish County Jail for Benitez-Santana, a Mexican citizen. 

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He was first encountered by immigration agents on Oct. 28, 2013, at the South Correctional Entity in Burien, Washington, after being arrested for failing to appear in court for driving on a suspended license.

He was also sentenced to 90 days behind bars, with 87 of the days suspended, in May 2013, after being convicted of possessing less than 40 grams of marijuana.

On Oct. 6, 2014, Santana was sentenced to 90 days behind bars for driving on a suspended license, and in May 2019, was arrested again for domestic violence assault.

Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE. 

Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner and Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report. 

FBI Deputy Director confirms Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide based on agency's files

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said Thursday that there is nothing in the Jeffrey Epstein file indicated that he died by any other way than by suicide.

Bongino updated Fox News host Sean Hannity on the investigation into the Epstein file as conspiracies continue to float that he was murdered in prison.

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"The evidence we have in our files clearly indicates that it was, in fact, a suicide. We do have video. It’s not the greatest video in the world. I don’t want to set expectations on fire," Bongino said. "However, the video does show in that specific block, that he goes in, made a phone call; you’ll see 12 hours of guards going in basically check on him, come back. You’ll see nobody really comes out of that bay in that area than him. There’s no one in there.

"There's nothing there in the file at all that indicates anything other than in fact a suicide," Bongino added.

The American financier died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

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