PEMBROKE – Gregory Goodsell, convicted in a 2019 Pembroke crash That killed 13-year-old Claire Zisseson and seriously injured her friend, was sentenced to life in prison Thursday after a series of tearful victim impact statements. Goodsell himself also spoke at the hearing and apologized for his actions.
Goodsell had a blood alcohol content of 0.266 and was under the influence of cocaine at the time of the crash. He had attended a company party and a house party before running a red light and crashing into a Subaru while driving his company-issued vehicle. Hi-Way Safety Systems pickup truck.
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‘A mother’s worst nightmare’
Claire’s boyfriend, Kendall Zemotel, was seriously injured in the crash and spent 10 months in hospital undergoing rehabilitation. Her mother, Heather Zemotel, called the crash “a mother’s worst nightmare.”
After 10 hours of deliberation, a jury found Goodsell guilty of manslaughter last week. He was also convicted of motor vehicle manslaughter while operating under the influence leaving the scene of property damage, and two counts of operating under the influence causing serious bodily injury.
Goodsell will be eligible for parole in 20 years.
Claire Zisseson’s family speaks
Prior to Goodsell’s sentencing, several of Claire’s family members provided emotional testimony.
“After Claire’s death, I didn’t want to live anymore. The pain of Claire’s loss is overwhelming for me. It’s like touching the sun,” Claire’s mother Elizabeth Zisserson, who was driving at the time of the accident, told the court. “I couldn’t protect Claire and I couldn’t protect Kendall, and I have to live with that. But if I can help protect someone else from death or suffering at the hands of Gregory Goodsell, then that is what I will do until my dying breath.
Kenneth Zisserson, Claire’s father, said his daughter’s death left him with “a life sentence of torturous grief.”
Claire’s brother, Theodore Zisseson, was 17 years old at the time of the fatal crash.
“Today we are here for the sentencing of Mr. Goodsell. But I myself received a life sentence. No parole,” said Theodore Zisserson. ‘We all did that. Every member of this courtroom is sentenced to life without Claire. Mr. Goodsell has destroyed my family and community forever. Therefore, I recommend that he receive a fair and equal sentencing, in an effort to understand the irreversibility and longevity of his actions. I want him to serve as long as I have.”
As part of the hearing, a letter from Kendall Zemotel was read.
“Not only did I lose my best friend, but I lost a part of myself that day that I will never get back,” she wrote. “She deserved so much more from life.”
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Gregory Goodsell apologizes for fatal Pembroke crash
Goodsell apologized for his actions before he was sentenced and broke down in tears.
“After the amount of pain I have caused emotionally and physically, how can I ever think that saying sorry for my actions that morning is good enough for everyone involved in this absolutely devastating road accident?” he said. “No one should ever have to try to deal with the pain I caused these people because of my careless, destructive behavior on December 29, 2019. If I could go back to that day and die instead of Claire, I would in a heartbeat . But unfortunately I can’t do that.”
