SPOKANE, Wash. — A woman is facing felony charges after the man she was in a relationship with was killed in a crash on East Trent Avenue early Tuesday morning, according to court documents.
Selina Juarez, 28, is charged with vehicular homicide. She made her first court appearance Wednesday afternoon where a judge set her bond at $100,000. Family members have identified the victim of the crash as Brandon McDonald, who would have been 40 years old in July 2021.
In a press release, Spokane Police Officer Stephen Anderson said officers responded to the single car crash at 3 a.m. on East Trent Avenue near North Napa Street. Officers found McDonald in the vehicle deceased and Juarez was taken to the hospital for treatment before being booked into the Spokane County Jail. Police believe impairment may have been a factor in the crash.
McDonald's family is having a candlelight vigil Wednesday at 8 p.m. at Minnehaha Park in Hillyard.
PHOTOS: Brandon McDonald dies in Spokane crash
According to court documents, a tow truck driver saw a small car driving in front of him slide down a small embankment and back onto Trent Avenue. The tow truck driver told police he made contact with the driver and she was drenched in blood but talking, documents say. The woman was repeatedly asking for help and the tow truck driver called 911.
The tow truck driver told police that a man in the front passenger seat was not breathing but had a faint pulse in his neck, documents say. He said it didn't look like the man was wearing his seatbelt, according to court documents.
When officers arrived, they found the car had heavy damage to the windshield, the roof was caved in, the front of the car was destroyed and the air bags had deployed, documents say.
Court documents said when an officer spoke with Juarez she told him she was driving eastbound on Trent with a spare tire on her car. Juarez told the officer when she hit the brakes, the car lost control, documents say. She told the officer she did not hit anything and did not roll the car. Documents say the officer noted that Juarez's story didn't match the damage to the car. He also noted that Juarez smelled of intoxicants, documents stated.
A search warrant was served for Juarez's blood. The Spokane County Medical Examiner will release McDonald's manner and cause of death.
Vehicular homicide is a class A felony in Washington and is punishable by up to life in prison and/or a maximum fine of $50,000