Tri-Cities driver was rushing home from a bar when she killed 2 people, say documents

A suspected drunk driver was racing home from the bar when she killed two people, according to documents filed Monday in court.

Mariana Souza, 28, told investigators she was going at least 50 miles per hour as she headed south on Steptoe Street on Sunday night, according court records. She told officers she was heading home from a Richland bar.

However, a witness estimated she was going 75 mph in the 40-mph zone, Kennewick Officer Roman Trujillo said.

When the traffic light turned red, Souza told police she didn’t have time to stop. Her Chrysler Pacifica minivan sped into the intersection and slammed into the side of a Ford Escape crossing in front of her.

The two people inside the SUV were dead before police and firefighters arrived.

Police have not released the names of the victims. They are expected to release the names Tuesday morning.

Souza was taken to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland to be checked for minor injuries. And that’s where she talked with Kennewick Officer Brandon Leander.

“Mariana spontaneously stated that, ‘It was my fault,’” Leander wrote.

She smelled of alcohol and her eyes were “droopy,” so police received a warrant for a blood sample to be tested for her alcohol level.

She made her first appearance in Benton County Superior Court on Monday afternoon on a 72-hour hold for two counts of vehicular homicide, Judge Alex Ekstrom set her bail at $500,000.

Souza speaks primarily Portuguese, and a court interpreter was not available for the hearing. So is expected to make another appearance in court on Tuesday.

The crash was one of four suspected DUI related crashes over the weekend in the Tri-Cities.

This story was originally published April 4, 2022 at 5:23 PM.