Found guilty, teen to serve year in fatal texting crash

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http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20220607found_guiltyteen_to_serveyear_in_fatal_texting_crash/

A landmark texting verdict yesterday sent shockwaves through the smartphone set with a sentence that will lock up an 18-year-old for a year and strip him of his driver’s license for 15 more years.

“The message here is, the commonwealth is not going to tolerate any violations of this law,” Boston criminal defense lawyer William D. Kickham said. “It’s extremely dangerous to text and drive at the same time, and the jury’s verdict and the judge’s sentencing reflects that.”

A Haverhill District Court jury found Aaron Deveau of Haverhill guilty of motor vehicle homicide and texting while driving causing injury.

Judge Stephen Abany sentenced him to 21⁄2 years in the House of Correction on the motor vehicle homicide charge and two years on the texting count. Deveau was ordered to serve one year concurrently on both charges, and the balance of both charges are suspended for five years, and his license will be suspended for 15 years.

Massachusetts State Police applauded the sentence.

“This was an important case that made very clear the consequences of distracted driving and the resolve and ability of police and prosecutors to hold accountable people who do it,” state police spokesman Dave Procopio said.

Prosecutors said Deveau sent or received 193 text messages in the hours before his Chevy Malibu collided with Donald Bowley’s car. Bowley, a father of three, was killed, and his passenger Luz Selena Roman was disabled.

“There are no winners today,” Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said. “A beloved grandfather is dead. A once active woman can no longer work and is still racked with pain from her injuries and a young man is going to jail.”

Massachusetts, which has prohibited drivers from sending and reading text messages since 2010, is one of 39 states with such bans. Five more ban young drivers from texting while driving, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports.

“It’s a fast-moving piece of highway safety legislation,” institute spokesman Russ Rader said, “because texting while driving is such an obvious risk.”

“Maybe this will be the final wake-up call,” said James Lewis of Kyrus Mobile, a Concord company whose device blocks drivers from sending texts and surfing the Web.

“Studies show that distracted drivers are 23 times more likely to crash,” he said, “and distracted driving is still eight times worse in terms of reaction times than drunk driving.”

Too severe? This this will make one iota of a difference?

Sh1tsRainbows

Woah..15 years no license???

I wish it would make a difference in what others did....but it wont

p0pr0cksnc0ke

Not too severe.. will it make a difference? Not really, sadly. I think it might have an effect on the family and friends close to the victims of both parties. Outside of that.. no.:indifferent:

WhatDoesLisa

Not at all. I get really PO'd when I see all the distracted drivers on the road. I got a $140 ticket using a cell phone while driving and that cured me. I can't count the number of times that a distracted driver has almost hit me while merging because they aren't paying attention. Get a hands free or get off the road. Nothing is that important. Honestly, I live in NJ and I think my state should have tougher laws.

Cliffslosinit

Won't change anything.....people do what they do.

BAMFMeredith

Honestly, it'll probably make just as much of a difference as people getting DWIs does (aka, none, people still drink and drive like idiots), but I think that kid deserved jail time. I think the punishment should be the same as what you get for intoxicated manslaughter, but I'm not familiar with what exactly that is.

Texting and driving is just stupid and dangerous. It's illegal here, too. He was texting and wound up killing somebody---that's just inexcusable.

wellbert

Slap on the wrist for murdering someone.

Twisted_Wrister

Probably won't make a difference, sadly. However, if you want to be made truly sick, just google Dr. James Corasanti and/or Alix Rice. The "good" Dr. was driving piss drunk and texting when he blasted Alix off her long board on his way home. He never stopped. Went home, pulled the car into his garage and waited about 5-6 hours to turn himself into police. Found not guilty...

Edit: I think his BAC was still around a .1 when he finally turned himself in.

jpinge

Not severe enough if you ask me!

Cliffslosinit

Honestly, it'll probably make just as much of a difference as people getting DWIs does (aka, none, people still drink and drive like idiots), but I think that kid deserved jail time. I think the punishment should be the same as what you get for intoxicated manslaughter, but I'm not familiar with what exactly that is.

Texting and driving is just stupid and dangerous. It's illegal here, too. He was texting and wound up killing somebody---that's just inexcusable.
[/quote

^^I agree.....Friend of mine has a dui and still gets hammered. I have to give him credit he does call me for a ride now. Not always tho....

jenlarz

Agree that it's not too severe. It might make a difference to a few people but not many. I bet the kids of the dad who was killed don't text and drive.

PittShkr

Good for the little pecker! I almost get hit every day from someone texting or using a pda while driving.!

KristysLosing

Probably won't make a difference, sadly. However, if you want to be made truly sick, just google Dr. James Corasanti and/or Alix Rice. The "good" Dr. was driving piss drunk and texting when he blasted Alix off her long board on his way home. He never stopped. Went home, pulled the car into his garage and waited about 5-6 hours to turn himself into police. Found not guilty...

Wow... :noway:

JoyousRen

I don't think it's too severe. He broke the law and KILLED a man.

roachhaley

I think he's getting off lightly for that offense... If he had truly been paying attention and it was really just an accident, then maybe, but he was NOT paying attention. Shouldn't have a license to begin with. Ugh.

Will it prevent people from doing it? No.

taunto

This was NOT severe enough. 1 year for murdering 1 person and disabling one?

Sadly, this would not be the wake-up call. PARENTS are the ones that need to control the kids. Parents need to be harsher with the kids and simply revoke the phone if they suspect use of phone while driving.

Yes, I am blaming parents for this. Its too bad in our society parents feel like they need to be friends with their children rather than be a parent

MinnieInMaine

I think it will start making an impact as they hand down tough sentences like this but it's going to take time and hopefully better technology will come along so people don't have to look down or type with their hands to text. Sure, people will do what they want but tough laws do help reduce the amount of issues.

Think about the stigma around driving impaired (high or drunk) - it's shameful when it happens! Tsk tsk, they should've known better! We're not quite their with thinking about texting/talking while driving but I think as more fatal accidents happen and more tougher sentences are handed down, people will get the idea.

Ironman2be

The time in jail is no where near as severe as it should be.. he took a life by breaking the law....but the license thing is just retarded...

Sharyn913

A father of three was killed and a woman left scared for the rest of her life... I think 15 years without a license is PLENTY fair. I can understand the outrage if it was a simple moving violation (no turn signal, rolling stop at stop sign) but for heavens sake, he KILLED someone. He deserved this punishment.

dsjohndrow

Just like drinking and driving, it will matter little. What would help is a hands free law for car manufacturers. Even the new Carolla comes with Bluetooth. We have the technology for everything to be voice activated including reading texts and sending them. There is no reason to take your eyes off the road even to turn on the car heater.

The problem with this Massachusetts case is that they rushed to legislation to stop people from texting, so every one holds there phone out of the view of police.

Il_DaniD_lI

The jail time is not too severe but the 15 years without a license is. He is 18, he can make his own decisions so should be punished for them, but he still has a lot of growing up and maturing to do.

ilookthetype

Slap on the wrist for murdering someone.

Agreed.

macpatti

Not too severe. In fact, I'd rather see more jail time than 15 years suspended license. My guess is he will drive whether he has one or not.
I hope cases like this will start making a difference. Unlike DWI's where the person's judgment is impaired, I would hope people would not think the risk is worth it.

NoAdditives

Slap on the wrist for murdering someone.

This gets into "what is justice" territory. Yes, he killed someone. But, since he's not a serial killer or otherwise a sociopath, he has to live with what he's done. For most rational people, that's punishment enough. No amount of prison time is going to undo what was done. And given the nature of our current penal system, prison generally only destroys another life. This kid made a mistake. A huge mistake, but it was still a mistake.

coachblt

Definitely not severe enough.

Here's my question: Serving 1 year in prison, minus timed served...won't that just give him just about a week or so in prison, if that much?

He killed a man. He will forever be known as a murderer. A felon.

SmartAlec03211988

I don't like this sentence.

Yes, texting while driving is extremely dangerous and inexcusable, but I do not think he meant or intended to harm somebody by doing so. Manslaughter? Yes. Homicide? Absolutely not.

Six months in jail and a year license suspension would have been appropriate, IMO.

shammxo

Makes some sense with the jail time. ETA--- Should probably be MORE jail time.

But I'm pretty sure that people who get DUI's don't even get their license suspended for 15 years... You gotta get caught doing that THREE times before it's even a felony charge.

People drive like **** anyway. Never understood why people think they can manage their vehicles when they're ****faced or looking at a ****ing phone.

BAMFMeredith

Just like drinking and driving, it will matter little. What would help is a hands free law for car manufacturers. Even the new Carolla comes with Bluetooth. We have the technology for everything to be voice activated including reading texts and sending them. There is no reason to take your eyes off the road even to turn on the car heater.

Yep, I just bought a car (not a fancy one either, a 2011 Mazda 3) and even it has bluetooth so I don't have to take my eyes off the road if I get a call or something. These safety features are really invaluable.

taunto

Makes some sense with the jail time.

But I'm pretty sure that people who get DUI's don't even get their license suspended for 15 years... You gotta get caught doing that THREE times before it's even a felony charge.

People drive like **** anyway. Never understood why people think they can manage their vehicles when they're ****faced or looking at a ****ing phone.

I think the license revoking was more of a "message" sent to the community, be i teenagers or the parents.

Twisted_Wrister

Just like drinking and driving, it will matter little. What would help is a hands free law for car manufacturers. Even the new Carolla comes with Bluetooth. We have the technology for everything to be voice activated including reading texts and sending them. There is no reason to take your eyes off the road even to turn on the car heater.

Yep, I just bought a car (not a fancy one either, a 2011 Mazda 3) and even it has bluetooth so I don't have to take my eyes off the road if I get a call or something. These safety features are really invaluable.

^^Agreed! My Tacoma didn't come with bluetooth :grumble: , (and it's a 2011, wtf?!), BUT I'm having a hands free device installed, (called BluLogic I think)

coachblt

Manslaughter? Yes. Homicide? Absolutely not.

Involuntary manslaughter has a 12-18 month sentence if a federal sentencing. A state sentence is typically more.

Therefore, for your argument, let's say it is manslaughter: DING DING DING - you've won a year in prison.

Thank you for proving the entire point, SmartAlec!