TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — Murder charges are filed Wednesday against a former elementary school principal from Dinuba.
43-year-old Blake Benham is accused of driving drunk and crashing into another car near Reedley, on December 3, 2023, killing a mother and her daughter.
55-year-old Gloria Barajas and her 35-year-old daughter, Brenda Quinonez both died in the crash that happened last December on Road 56 near Avenue 430.
The California Highway Patrol says Barajas and Quinonez, were heading home from Christmas shopping at the Tulare Outlets with Gloria’s husband and younger daughter just after 6 p.m.
As they drove north in their Nissan Rogue, officers say a Ford pickup driven by Benham veered into their lane, colliding head-on with the family’s SUV.
The crash that killed Barajas and Quinonez also sent their other two family members to Community Regional Medical Center.
The CHP says Benham was under the influence of alcohol at the time.
Benham was the Principal of Kennedy Elementary School when the crash took place but has been on administrative leave since then.
On Wednesday, August 14, 2024, Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward announced that murder charges were filed against Benham.
The District Attorney’s Office says Benham surrendered himself on Wednesday to CHP officers without incident.
If convicted, Benham faces life in prison.
