Guilty Verdict in Littleton Crash That Killed Two People
WOBURN – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Littleton Police Chief Matthew King announced today that Keith Lamarre, 22, of Westford, was found guilty of motor vehicle homicide in connection with a 2012 single-car crash that killed two people.
Following a three-day trial in Middlesex District Court, a jury found the defendant guilty on two counts of motor vehicle homicide.
Judge Elizabeth Cremens sentenced the defendant to two years in jail on the first charge. On the second charge, the defendant was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail with one year to serve from and after the first jail term with the balance suspended for five years and the conditions of no driving or attempting to obtain a driver’s license anywhere, no contact with the victim’s families, 200 hours of community service, substance abuse evaluation and follow-up, plus a 15-year loss of license. Judge Cremens also ordered him to a half-day at Brains At Risk, a program that links dangerous driving behavior with traumatic brain injury.
Lamarre was found responsible for civil infractions of speeding, violating marked lanes, not using a seat belt and a tire tread violation.
“Assigning responsibility cannot alter the sad and lasting impact on these families. I urge young drivers to take seriously the obligations they have for passengers and their safety,” District Attorney Ryan said. “Thanks to the Littleton Police, MA State Police and State Police Accident Reconstruction team for their hard work.”
Littleton Police Chief Matthew King said, "This was a tragic incident that struck our community two years ago and ended two lives. It has left a mark on our community. I applaud the efforts of our officers and detectives, and prosecutors out of the Middlesex District Attorney's Office in ensuring that justice is done."
Police and EMTs responded to Great Road in Littleton at approximately 5:20 a.m. on September 2, 2012, to a report of a single-car crash. They found a Ford truck had struck a utility pole and that the two passengers had been thrown from the vehicle. Passengers Taylor Deluca, 21, of Groton, and Richard Mitchell, 21, of Dunstable, were killed in the early morning accident.
An investigation revealed that Lamarre was the driver and that he was not injured. The group had left a house party in Littleton and stopped at a gas station shortly before the crash occurred. Investigators found that the vehicle had been traveling at a high rate of speed and did not stay in marked lanes, and that Lamarre lost control of the truck, crashing into the pole.
The prosecutors assigned to this case are Assistant District Attorney Christina Lucci and Assistant District Attorney Kerry Collins. The Victim Witness Advocate is Laura Schwertz. The Paralegal is Sarah Chaulk.