After a two week trial, a Lincoln County jury found Daniel Ruiz guilty of Manslaughter in the First Degree, Manslaughter in the Second Degree, 4 counts of Assault in the Third Degree, 13 counts of Recklessly Endangering, 4 counts of Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree, DUII, and Reckless Driving. On October 30, 2020, Ruiz was traveling eastbound on HWY 20 when he swerved into the oncoming lane of traffic, side swiped a cargo trailer, hit a Toyota Corolla, and then crashed into a Mazda driven by 20-year old Lexi Brockmann.
On that day family and friends of Lexi Brockmann received devastating news that Lexi lost her life because of one man’s decision to drive under the influence of intoxicants. The driver of the Toyota and Ruiz’s three passengers were injured in the crash. Ruiz’s blood alcohol concentration was .09% two hours after the crash. Additionally, Ruiz had cocaine in his system. At the time of the crash, Ruiz had outstanding arrests warrants for three open DUII cases in Benton County.
This case was prosecuted by Chief Deputy District Attorney (CDDA) Lynn Howard and Deputy District Attorney Jodi Maynard. CDDA Howard has been recognized as the top DUII prosecutor in the State of Oregon and serves on the Governor’s Advisory Committee on DUII. Over the past 4 months, CDDA Howard has conducted 3 manslaughter trials and has achieved justice for the friends and families of those victims who were tragically killed.
This case was investigated by the Oregon State Police with assistance from the Toledo Police Department, Toledo Fire, and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. Ruiz is in the Lincoln County Jail awaiting sentencing.
