Body camera footage and more emotional testimonies were presented to jurors Wednesday in the trial of a driver who was allegedly responsible for a crash that killed a Broward Sheriff's deputy in Deerfield Beach nearly four years ago.
Deputy Benjamin "Benji" Nimtz was responding to a domestic call for help in July 2019 when investigators said Darran Johnson crashed into him. Johnson is now on trial for multiple charges, including DUI manslaughter and driving on a suspended license.
Nimtz was 30 years old at the time and left behind a wife and two children. He was days away from starting a new job in Indiana with less than a week left on the job at the Broward County Sheriff’s Office when he was hit and killed.
“I went to my car and grabbed a crowbar in the trunk of my car," said BSO Detective Philipe Santa Maria, who started crying in court. “We figured out how to try to get him out."
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The jury was also shown body camera footage of Johnson in the hospital following the crash. The footage came from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office DUI investigation.
“I could smell the alcohol on Mr. Johnson’s breath, and his eyes were red and glassy," said Joshua Sapp of BSO.
The video shows Johnson first refusing to give a blood sample to investigators and then complying. The defense argued that Johnson was injured, not drunk — and that the blood samples were faulty.
Jurors also saw drone video mapping the crash as the defense questioned whether Nimtz had his sirens on while doing through the intersection.
This trial is expected to last three weeks.
