A former Lafayette College football player is facing felony charges after a fatal DUI accident in Indianapolis on Jan. 1.
Gabriel DuBois ‘25 — who declared for the 2025 NFL Draft and played as a four-year starter at defensive back — was arrested and is facing charges for driving under the influence and causing a fatal crash. Soon after, he was hospitalized.
According to the Indianapolis metropolitan police, DuBois was driving westbound just before 6:15 a.m. on Jan. 1, when his 2019 BMW shifted over the center line and hit an oncoming 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt driven by Blanca Dominguez Martinez. Martinez was pronounced dead at the scene; she was 35.
DuBois’ alcohol content was reportedly 0.199, just under two and a half times the legal limit. Charges were filed against DuBois on Jan. 6, and he posted 10% of his $160,000 bail two days later. He was then released from the Marion County Jail, according to county jail records.
He is currently being held under house arrest until his trial, which is tentatively scheduled for early March in a county superior court.
Investigators seized a black backpack while searching DuBois’ car that contained a bong and an empty container of marijuana, according to the affidavit of probable cause, reported by Lehigh Valley Live. Possession of marijuana and related paraphernalia remains illegal under Indiana law.
The Marion County prosecutor’s office and crash investigations team could not be reached after multiple requests for comment.
DuBois told authorities he was driving to his hometown of Cincinnati at the time of the incident. The location of the incident — according to video footage of Indianapolis news station FOX 59 — took place on a local two-lane road on West 79th St.
Martinez, according to a GoFundMe posted by the surviving family, was driving to work.
“In a single moment, our family lost a daughter, a sister, a mother … and the world lost a kind, hardworking, and deeply loving woman,” reads the GoFundMe’s description. The fundraiser, which the organizers claim will be used to support Martinez’s three children, has raised over $26,000 of the $30,000 goal as of Wednesday.
Members of the family could not be reached for comment.