US fugitive took drink and drugs before crash, court told
An American fugitive wanted in the US over a high speed car crash which killed three young students had been drinking and using cannabis in the hours before the fatal accident, a Dublin court heard today.
In a bid to have 27-year-old Frederick David Russell extradited, the High Court was told that he went on the run for over four years in the weeks before he was due to stand trial for the multiple pile-up.
Russell, named on the US Marshals 15 most wanted list, could face eight charges if the Irish courts agree to have him sent home.
George Birmingham, Senior Counsel for the state, told the court Russell had been behind the wheel of a speeding SUV which collided with several cars on the Moscow-Pullman highway late on June 4, 2001.
“His actions on that evening caused the deaths of three young students at Washington State University, and very serious injuries to three other students,” Mr Birmingham said.
The court was told that up to four other vehicles were involved n the incident.
Russell’s SUV, said to have been travelling at well over the 55 miles per hour limit, crossed the central reservation before ploughing into three oncoming cars.
One eyewitness, in an affidavit to the court, recalled having to pull to the roadside to allow Russell to pass him in the seconds before the fatal pile-up.
One car, a Cadillac which had been travelling in the opposite direction to Russell, bore the brunt of the collision.
It was struck side-on with the force of the impact pushing it off the road into a ditch.
The occupants of the car were the most severely injured.
The court was told that after the crash Russell was taken to hospital in Idaho just over the state line.
Blood samples were taken from Russell and toxicology tests revealed that he was over the limit and had been using cannabis.
Washington State trooper Michael Murphy then formally arrested Russell.
The 27-year-old’s blood alcohol level was 0.12 grams, well above the limit of 0.08 grams.
If extradited Russell could face three charges of vehicular homicide, three charges of vehicular assault, charges of forgery and theft.
If tried and convicted he could end up serving life in prison.
In his bid to block extradition to the US, Russell submitted a sworn affidavit to the court outlining a series of death threats he received in the weeks and months after the fatal car crash.
One threat left on an answering machine at his home said: “You’re going to go to prison for a very long time, you worthless f***ing piece of shit.
“I hope to god that you get raped in prison, you f****ing worthless peace of shit.”
The court was also told Russell was beat about the head with a baseball bat while watching a softball game and threatened in the toilets of a courthouse as he awaited a hearing in connection with the accident.
In the affidavit, which was read to the court, Russell said: “I heard a man’s voice asking if I was Frederick David Russell, I confirmed I was, he responded by saying ’I know who you are’ and that I would be a dead man if I did not receive a life sentence”.
Russell also claimed the man said: “You do the math kid, you are a dead man”.
Russell also said threatening letters were sent to his house, one of which included a bullet.
Russell was on the run for around four years, first escaping to Canada then on to England and spending several months travelling around western Europe.
He eventually settled in Ireland and was arrested last year while working in a lingerie store in Dublin city centre.
He appeared in court today sitting alongside his long-term girlfriend Hazel McNaboe with whom he had been sharing a house prior to his arrest.
The hearing continues.
