Kent man could face four charges of vehicular homicide

A Washington State Patrol trooper could detect a strong and obvious odor of intoxicants coming from a 22-year-old Kent man who was unconscious in the back of an ambulance after a single-vehicle crash early Sunday morning that killed four Kent men ages 18-22.

Troopers arrested Jesse Tenorio for investigation of four counts of vehicular homicide after he allegedly drove a white 2004 Nissan Titan pickup at a high rate of speed eastbound on State Route 518 at about 2:17 a.m. and then crashed into a pillar that supports Interstate 5 near the I-405 interchange, according to the State Patrol.

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office found probable cause on each of the four counts. Tenorio waived his presence in court on Tuesday. He will have a bail hearing on Wednesday at his first court appearance, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. He remained Tuesday in the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle with bail denied. He was released on Monday from Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

The four killed in the crash were Myron Singh, 22; Luis Perez, 21; Juan Carrasco-Rodriguez, 18; and Anthony Perez, 22. They each died from multiple blunt force injuries, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The Tukwila Fire Department arrived prior to troopers and advised that one individual was going to be transported to Harborview Medical Center and four others were deceased in the vehicle, according to a State Patrol press release. It was determined that the individual being transported had been ejected from the vehicle just prior to the collision when the pickup rolled.

Once troopers arrived, they were able to determine that the vehicle was a white 2004 Nissan Titan pickup and was traveling eastbound on SR 518 at a high rate of speed at which time it left the roadway to the right, rolled and struck a large concrete support pole.

When a trooper entered an ambulance to talk to Tenorio, he found him unconscious with a strong odor of intoxicants coming from him, according to probable cause documents filed by prosecutors on Tuesday.

Detectives at the crash scene determined Tenorio was the driver based on the positioning of the deceased passengers. Detectives obtained from the hospital two vials of blood from Tenorio for analysis at the State Patrol Crime Lab, which eventually will determine his blood-alcohol level. The Kent man also reportedly told the ambulance driver and a nearby Good Samaritan that he was the driver of the pickup. The truck is owned by Tenorio’s mother.

Tenorio has a prior DUI conviction in 2017, according to court documents.

State Patrol detectives are seeking any witnesses or information in reference to the Nissan Titan pickup prior to the collision, according to a State Patrol press release. Anyone with information can contact Detective Brody Ford at 425-401-7742 or by email at brody.ford@wsp.wa.gov.