Woman sentenced to 30 days in jail for DUI crash that killed couple

Victims were passengers in Judith Khouri's car when crash occurred, police say

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. ā€“ A Pompano Beach woman was sentenced Friday toĀ 30 days in the Broward County jail following a 2017 crash that killed her two passengers.Ā 

Judith Khouri was charged with a misdemeanor count of DUI after the March 26, 2017, crash.

"All I can do is learn from that mistake," Khouri said in court Friday.Ā 

According to authorities, Khouri, 55, was driving under the influence about 3 a.m. when sheĀ ran a red light and collided with another car near Commercial Boulevard and Northwest 70th Avenue in Lauderhill.

Her passengers -- Benyamin Benyamin and his wife, Zafrit Ruvio Benyamin -- were killed in the crash. The couple left behind a young daughter.

Police said that Khouri, a family friend of the Benyamins, had a blood alcohol level of 0.14 percent, nearly double the legal limit of 0.08.Ā 

"She knew she was drunk," Benyamin Benyamin's sister, Yael Shababo, said. "He went to celebrate his birthday. Why would somebody like this take the wheel and offer them to go and take a ride with them?"Ā Ā 

Khouri entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors.

The Broward State Attorney's Office said it had a difficult time proving that her drinking under the influence directly caused the deaths of the victims.

As part of her sentence, Khouri will serve 12 months of probation following her release from jail and will pay $1,000 in court costs.

Her driver's license will be suspended for a year, she must complete 150 hours of community service, attend DUI school and speak to young people about the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol.Ā 

"How couldn't she have more responsibility?"Ā ShababoĀ asked the judge.Ā "I think she should get more punishment about this."


About the Authors:

Roy Ramos joined the Local 10 News team in 2018. Roy is a South Florida native who grew up in Florida City. He attended Christopher Columbus High School,Ā Homestead Senior HighĀ School and graduated from St. Thomas University.

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.