Haverhill Woman Pleads Guilty To Operating Under The Influence And Motor Vehicle Homicide Charges In Connection With Framingham Fatal Motor Vehicle Crash

A Haverhill woman has pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the December 3, 2011 motor vehicle crash that killed one victim and injured three others, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan informed the public today.

Brooke Uttley, 23, of Haverhill, pleaded guilty in Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn to charges of felony motor vehicle homicide while operating under the influence of alcohol and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol causing serious bodily injury.  

Middlesex Superior Court Judge S. Jane Haggerty sentenced the defendant to 2 years in jail on the felony motor vehicle homicide charge to be followed by an additional 1 year in jail on the serious bodily injury charge, with an additional 1 year in jail suspended for 4 years.  During her incarceration, the defendant is ordered to participate in the maximum number of AA meetings available to her.  The defendant’s license will be suspended for 15 years and Judge Haggerty ordered the following conditions while the defendant is on probation:  that she not drive, stay away and have no contact with the family of the deceased victim, refrain from the use of alcohol and drugs, be placed on sobrietormonitoring and undergo random screens for alcohol and drugs, attend 3 AA meetings per week, undergo a substance abuse evaluation and complete any additional recommended treatment, seek/maintain employment or academic programs, complete 100 hours of community service, and speak to 6 high school assemblies about the facts of this case and about making good choices.

“Today the defendant took responsibility for causing a terrible crash which took the life of a talented, kind and joyful young woman and seriously injured others,” District Attorney Ryan said.  “This was a horrific, and entirely avoidable, incident which has forever altered the lives of everyone involved.  Impaired driving is an urgent public safety matter which must remain at the top of our agenda, so that lives are not lost and irreparably damaged in this tragic way.”

According to authorities, on December 3, 2011, at approximately 2:20 a.m., Ashland Police and Framingham Police responded to 3 Badger Road in Framingham for reports of a motor vehicle crash.  Upon their arrival, investigators observed a Honda Civic with significant damage.  The motor vehicle was unoccupied, the vehicle air bags had been deployed and the rear window was completely shattered.  Authorities determined that the car had struck a telephone pole in a single vehicle crash.

While on scene, investigators were notified that three occupants who had been in the motor vehicle were at a nearby residence.  They were located and transported to MetroWest Medical Center where they were treated for their injuries.  One of the three surviving victims sustained serious injuries which affected her mobility and caused her to lose vision in her right eye.

Also on scene, authorities located the defendant in the woods behind a tree.  Officers observed that the defendant was having difficulty standing, had bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol.  She was transported by medical helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital where she was treated for her injuries.

A short distance from the defendant, authorities found Ashley Donahue, 20, of Bridgewater, evidencing obvious injuries.  She was pronounced dead at the scene.  

Through their investigation, authorities learned that the defendant and the four victims were at the defendant’s apartment in Ashland prior to the crash.  During that time, the defendant consumed alcoholic beverages before driving the victims back to Framingham State University where they lived on campus.  While driving to campus, the defendant was speeding at approximately 65 to 75 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone when she struck a telephone phone.  The crash caused Ashley Donahue, and a second victim, to be ejected from the motor vehicle.  The defendant’s blood alcohol level shortly after the crash was determined to be .10%.

The defendant was cited on December 16, 2011 for felony motor vehicle homicide and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol causing serious bodily injury and summonsed for arraignment.  She was arraigned in Framingham District Court on December 21, 2011 and Judge Robert Greco ordered the defendant released on conditions that she stay away from the victims and the families of the victims, refrain from the use of alcohol, submit to random screens for alcohol, and if her license was reinstated that she not drive between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., subject to the actions of the Registry of Motor Vehicles.  She was indicted by a Middlesex County grand jury on March 27, 2012.

This case was investigated by the Framingham Police, the Ashland Police and the Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section.

The prosecutor assigned to this case is Assistant District Attorney Darina Belot.  The Victim Witness Advocate is Kristin D’Agnelli.