A head-on collision in Nashville earlier this month left a woman dead and her husband critically injured after a suspected illegal migrant drunk driver veered his Maserati into oncoming traffic, according to local police and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Authorities said 37-year-old Raquel Lorena Sarabia Baraja was killed in the crash, while her husband, Marco Antonio Baez Angel, remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Suspect Background
The driver, identified as Julio Cesar Herrera Gonzales, is a Honduran national who entered the United States in 2008 under Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
DHS confirmed that his TPS designation was revoked in 2015. He also has a prior vandalism conviction.
Gonzales has been charged with:
DHS and ICE Response
In a statement Tuesday, DHS called the crash “the same senseless tragedy, different day.”
“Herrera Gonzales drove drunk and killed Raquel Lorena Sarabia Baraja and left her husband … fighting for his life,” the agency said.
“This criminal illegal is charged with vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, DUI, and driving without a license.”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued an arrest detainer on Aug. 23 to ensure Gonzales is not released back into the community.
