Man convicted of killing girlfriend in west Spokane DUI crash

A jury convicted a 41-year-old man Tuesday of killing his girlfriend after driving under the influence and smashing his SUV into a tree west of Spokane.

Christopher Dodson was driving a GMC Yukon early in the morning in March 2021 on North Government Way near the Greenwood Memorial Terrace when he lost control at a curve and went off the road down an embankment, according to court documents.

The crash killed Carrie Martin.

Witnesses said they spotted Dodson on the shoulder of the road waving them down. His SUV was in the ditch.

They heard Dodson say the driver of the crashed car ran away, and that the passenger, Martin, was “32 or 35 years old” and looked like his ex-girlfriend. Dodson later told a deputy he was walking in the area when he saw the crash and saw a male get out of the driver’s seat and run away.

One of the witnesses said he smelled alcohol on Dodson’s breath. THC and methamphetamine were found in Dodson’s blood, according to Spokane County deputy prosecutor Jason Moscowitz.

Martin was taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center for serious head injuries, documents say. Martin, who had four children, according to her mother, died at the hospital the next day.

A deputy noticed Dodson’s knuckles were bleeding and there appeared to be tiny shards of broken glass on his pants and sweatshirt.

Dodson had a warrant for DUI and his driver’s license was suspended, so the deputy arrested him.

The deputy found a set of car keys in Dodson’s pants pocket that Dodson claimed belonged to his other GMC. The keys, though, appeared to fit in the ignition, the sheriff’s office said in documents.

Dodson later corrected his story, saying he was in the GMC and he swerved for a deer.

Dodson is scheduled to be sentenced for vehicular homicide on May 11.