'Killed our family': Victims' family after arrest of former Dinuba principal

DINUBA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - The household of 2 women who were killed successful a DUI clang astir 8 months agone are speaking up aft the charges were filed against a erstwhile Dinuba simple schoolhouse principal.

On Wednesday, the Tulare County District Attorney's Office announced 43-year-old Blake Benham's aggregate charges, including 2 counts of gross vehicular manslaughter portion intoxicated.

"There is simply a consciousness of alleviation due to the fact that you cognize it's a agelong time— it's been astir 7 months, astir eight... This idiosyncratic was inactive retired present surviving erstwhile my ma and sister weren't and it wasn't fair," said a girl and sister to the 2 women, Jennifer Quinonez.

According to tribunal officials, on Dec. 3, 2023, Benham was driving nether the power southbound of Reedley resulting successful a clang that killed 2 women and injured others. The 2 victims were identified arsenic 55-year-old Gloria Jamie Barajas and her daughter, 35-year-old Brenda Quinonez.

"My mom, my sister— our household revolved astir them. They made our lives support going and helium didn't conscionable termination my ma and my sister, helium besides killed our household successful a mode that present we dread each vacation coming up, we dread— it's hard," Quinonez said holding backmost tears.

Quinonez was 1 of the different 2 radical who sustained large injuries from the crash, describing however she could not locomotion for months oregon determination her arms. She recalled what took spot moments earlier her family's lives were changed forever.

"My ma was conscionable trying to get gifts for her grandkids, my sister was trying to get gifts for her nieces and nephews, for her family... My eyes closed for a infinitesimal and past I aftermath up and I'm successful a infirmary without them and I didn't cognize that they were gone yet," she said.

Following the find that the DUI operator was Benham, who was a main for Dinuba's John F. Kennedy Elementary School, the schoolhouse territory had placed him connected permission wherever helium held the presumption of a schoolroom teacher. After helium was arrested and charged connected Wednesday, the territory acknowledged the charges and says they volition proceed to enactment with instrumentality enforcement.

The Quinonez household expressed their vexation with the territory for allowing Benham to proceed arsenic a teacher contempt the collision that took place.

"I don't recognize however a territory could inactive let idiosyncratic to enactment and proceed to unrecorded their day-to-day beingness erstwhile different household is ruined and destroyed... There was no, immoderate benignant of repercussions for him, determination was nothing. He was inactive capable to unrecorded his day-to-day life— I wasn't capable to," Quinonez expressed.

And portion a grey unreality looms implicit the Quinonez household arsenic they proceed to mourn the nonaccomplishment of 2 women they accidental were the spot that built them up, the Quinonez household says they are grateful for the enactment they person received from the community.