PORTSMOUTH – Tyler Troy has been sentenced to New Hampshire State Prison for negligent homicide while intoxicated and other criminal charges in connection with the Thanksgiving 2022 car crash in Portsmouth that killed a 21-year-old Barrington woman and four other passengers were injured.
Troy, 24, of Northwood, pleaded guilty to five charges and was sentenced to a minimum of six years in prison for his role as the driver of a Porsche Macan in the single-vehicle crash that claimed the life of Drew Ceppetelli, a student-athlete at Salve Regina University.
The fatal incident at the Portsmouth roundabout was preceded by a night of drinking at various establishments in central Portsmouth.
Troy’s six-year prison sentence is for his guilty plea to negligent homicide while under the influence. He pleaded guilty to four other charges — two counts of second-degree assault and two counts of reckless conduct with a deadly weapon — with sentences all concurrent with the prison sentence for negligent homicide.
Troy was sentenced on November 7 by Judge Tina Nadeau. A Rockingham County Superior Court grand jury indicted Troy on eight charges in July 2023.
Mother of the late Drew Ceppetelli says her family’s punishment is “forever.”
Drew Ceppetelli
Melissa Ceppetelli, mother of Drew Ceppetelli, responded to Troy’s guilty plea and sentencing.
“We are pleased that he has been held accountable. It shouldn’t have taken so long. It doesn’t make us feel better and it doesn’t take away the pain,” she said on Wednesday. “This was a series of stupid mistakes that could and should have been prevented. He will serve his sentence, and we will serve ours forever.”
A graduate of Coe-Brown Northwood Academy, Ceppetelli was a senior student and softball player at Salve Regina in Newport, Rhode Island.
In Ceppetelli’s memory, her family and loved ones have created the Drew Cepp Foundation and are holding the Drew Ceppetelli Turkey Trot 5K run on Thanksgiving morning in Barrington. Registration for the 5K race is open.
“Drew’s family and friends will continue to do our best to make the world a more positive place in her memory,” said Melissa Ceppetelli. “The Drew Cepp Foundation will continue to do good things.”
Troy’s attorney says he is “deeply remorseful.”
Video evidence appears to show Northwood resident Tyler Troy, 23, allegedly leaving the Thirsty Moose Taphouse in downtown Portsmouth on November 23, 2022. Troy is the alleged driver of a fatal single-vehicle car crash that occurred on November 24, 2022. a few hours after he and his friends were reportedly drinking in downtown Portsmouth. The footage was shown during a New Hampshire Liquor Commission hearing in Concord on Wednesday, November 15, 2023.
Mark Sisti, Troy’s attorney in the proceedings, called the plea deal a “fully negotiated agreement” and spoke on behalf of his client.
“We hope it lends itself to some closure for the victim’s family,” he said Wednesday. “I can assure you that Tyler is very remorseful. He will work very hard in state prison on all programs offered to him and will of course seek an early release.”
According to Sisti, Troy can petition the court for a possible parole after serving four years of his sentence.
Three other charges against Troy — negligent homicide and two counts of aggravated drunken driving — were dropped by prosecutors after plea negotiations.
The suspect avoided the case going to trial after reaching an agreement with provincial prosecutors. The trial, which has been postponed several times, was scheduled to begin on December 2.
Restitution in the case will be determined within 60 days of Troy’s sentencing, which took effect immediately last week. Troy has been ordered not to have any contact with Ceppetelli’s family, court records show.
“This was a car full of individuals who all knew each other,” Sisti said. “They were all friendly. It is an extremely tragic event that has affected all families. He (Troy) was very remorseful and he looks forward to serving this particular sentence and rejoining his family and friends at the end of it.
In June, Troy filed a notice of intent to plead guilty to the charges before the case went to criminal mediation.
What happened the night of the tragic accident?
An accident occurred at the Portsmouth roundabout at 1am on 24 November 2022, killing a 21-year-old woman and injuring five other people, including the driver who was sentenced to prison.
The fatal crash happened on Thanksgiving, shortly after 1 a.m. on Nov. 24, 2022, according to New Hampshire State Police. The speeding Porsche Macan driven by Troy skidded across the roadway, rolled several times and landed in the center median of the Portsmouth roundabout, ejecting passengers, state police said.
According to state police, Troy was driving more than 30 miles per hour over the posted speed limit near the roundabout just before the crash occurred.
All six passengers involved in the crash were transported to local hospitals. Ceppetelli died later that morning at Portsmouth Regional Hospital, while Troy was treated and later released from Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover.
Last year, the New Hampshire Liquor Commission sued Portsmouth Gas Light Co. for serving the allegedly “visibly intoxicated” Troy immediately prior to the fatal crash.
At a hearing in Concord last year, a Liquor Commission investigator testified that Troy’s blood alcohol concentration at the time of the fatal rollover was .224, about three times the legal limit. The commission investigator, Brian Hebert, reported that Troy had been to six different drinking establishments in Portsmouth before the crash, including Legends Billiards & Tavern, TJ’s Food and Spirits, the Goat Bar and Grill, Thirsty Moose Taphouse, the Press Room and the Portsmouth Gas. Light Co.
Troy was not a party to the Liquor Commission prosecution, which resulted in Gas Light being fined $500.
This story may be updated.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Tyler Troy gets 6 years in prison for fatal crash on Thanksgiving 2022
