Raul Benitez-Santana found guilty.
A jury in Everett found the man accused of killing Washington State Patrol Trooper Chris Gadd guilty of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault on Wednesday, June 4th.
WSP Trooper Christopher Gadd died on 3/2/2024
34-year-old Raul Benitez Santana was found guilty of driving 112 mph on the shoulder, while under the influence, when he struck Officer Gadd’s parked patrol vehicle on the shoulder of southbound Interstate 5 near Marysville.
The crash killed Gadd, 27, who was pronounced dead at the scene. A large memorial service was held in March 2024 and in September 2024, in honor of Gadd, a “One More Stop” Emphasis Patrol was held by several dozen police agencies across the state.
7/2/25 UPDATE: On July 2nd, 2025, Raul Benitez-Santana was sentence to more than 10 years in prison.
Judge Karen Moore assigned the highest possible sentence for a drunk driver.
Benitez-Santana sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The case received national attention because Raul Benitez Santana is a citizen of Mexico and was in the U.S. illegally at the time he was arrested for Trooper Gadd’s death. ICE placed an immigration detainer on him within a week of when he was booked into the Snohomish County jail.
The trial was delayed when the Santana’s lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing prosecutors violated state sanctuary laws by disclosing Benitez Santana’s immigration status to federal authorities and that it tainted the potential jury pool.
Judge Karen Moore denied the request to halt the trial, noting that the correspondence between prosecutors and ICE happened after the detainer was already in place.
Besides the vehicular homicide ruling, the jury also affirmed verdicts on both counts that Benitez Santana was under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs.
Here’s a video of the verdict from Komo:
WSP Chief John R Batista released the following statement:
The Washington State Patrol would like to thank the people of Washington for their outpouring of support for our fallen Trooper Christopher Gadd, his family, loved ones, and those who served our state and system of justice by serving on the jury of his killer.
On March 2, 2024, Trooper Gadd was pronounced dead at the scene, after being struck by driver Raul Benitez-Santana. Benitez-Santana was driving over 100 miles per hour and impaired when he struck Trooper Gadd’s vehicle. Benitez-Santana was charged with vehicular homicide and vehicular assault while under the influence.
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 our state as a Washington State Trooper.
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. Our thoughts and enduring support remain with his widow and young daughter as well as his mother, father, and sister.
We will never forget Trooper Chris Gadd.
June 5, 2025
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