Charges filed year after crash
Woman drove under influence, records show
A woman was charged Friday in a deadly crash that left a 6-year-old girl an orphan, according to public records.
Judith Khouri, 54, of Pompano Beach, is charged with driving under the influence in the crash that killed her two passengers, Benyamin Benyamin and his wife Zafrit “Sofie” Ruvio Benyami. Khouri will not be arrested because it’s a misdemeanor charge and a summons will be sent to her attorney.
At 3 a.m. on March 26, 2017, Khouri did not yield the right of way to a Honda Element traveling on a green light, according to what the Honda’s driver and passenger told police.
As a result, the Honda Tboned the Mercedes at Commercial Boulevard and Northwest 70th Avenue in Lauderhill.
The impact from the col-
lision caused both cars’ airbags to deploy. The Mercedes’ passenger side was struck in the collision. Firefighters had to cut the door off the car to remove Zafrit Benyamin, according to the police.
The crash killed the Benyamins on impact, but not their daughter, Shiraz.
“I don’t know what to think about it,” said Zafrit Benyamin’s sister, Liya Ruvio. “Two people are gone, two families are destroyed, a little girl is an orphan. Somebody is liable. I don’t understand how people could get away with murder. My sister is gone. Our family is destroyed. They were the center for both families.”
The Lauderhill patrol officer saw Khouri getting out of her car, the police report said, “wearing a blue dress and a party band,” and she had a “strong smell of alcohol.”
The couple’s family said Khouri was a friend of the Benyamins. The couple were at a bar to celebrate Benny Benyamin’s birthday, and had gotten a ride through a ride-hailing service to get to their birthday party.
The couple were described by friends as devoted parents who spent years struggling to have a child. Their daughter is now living with relatives and there’s an ongoing custody battle between the couple’s families.
“She doesn’t really talk much about it,” Ruvio said about the child, who turns 8 in April. “It’s a lot for that little girl.”