Judge grants delay for man charged in fatal crash on I-8
The defense attorney for Benjamin Griffith, the 32-year-old Phoenixarea man charged in connection to the traffic-related death of an elderly woman on Interstate 8 last year, requested Thursday that her client’s hearing be postponed until next month.
Attorney Julie McDonald informed the court that she signed on to the case about six weeks ago, but is not ready to move forward yet because when she got the file from the previous attorney it contained very little disclosure.
McDonald said her client has suffered two traumatic brain injuries in the past, so she and the prosecutor assigned to the case have been discussing resolving the case by way of a guilty but insane plea offer.
In order to do so, however, she said she needs to gather psychological records and other documents pertaining to her client from several places, which she is in the process of doing. She added that she did not know how long it would take.
She also requested her client undergo a mental state assessment to determine
Griffith’s mental and emotional state at the time he allegedly committed the offense. He has already undergone a competency assessment, but McDonald has not yet received the doctor’s report on his findings.
Superior Court Judge Roger Nelson, who is presiding over the case, granted McDonald’s request and scheduled his next hearing for 8:30 a.m. on June 25. He also advised McDonald that his office would contact the psychologist to get an update as to when the final report will be ready.
Griffith, has been charged with five felony offenses, including first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault. The remaining are failure to stop at the scene of an accident involving a death or injury and unlawful flight from pursuing law enforcement. He remains in custody at the Yuma County jail on a $250,000 cash-only bond.
According to the Department of Public Safety, at approximately 9:56 a.m. on Nov. 13 troopers were issued an attempt to locate (ATL) for a silver four-door hatchback Honda that was traveling westbound on Interstate 8 near milepost 24 at speeds in excess of 100 mph and passing vehicles by using the emergency lane.
A short time later a trooper, who was observing traffic in the median at milepost 15, observed a vehicle matching the description and attempted to stop it. However, instead of stopping, he said Griffith, who is alleged to be the driver, continued at a high-rate of speed and a pursuit ensued.
During the pursuit stop sticks were laid out across the Interstate at milepost 3.9, successfully deflating one of the vehicle’s tires. Griffith lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a 2015 Hyundai Accent that had three occupants.
The force of the collision caused the Hyundai to roll over into the median, ejecting one passenger, an elderly woman, and severely injuring two others.
James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854. Find him on Facebook at www.Facebook. com/YSJamesGilbert or on Twitter @ YSJamesGilbert.