PLYMOUTH – A 36-year-old Marshfield man has been found guilty of all charges related to the 2019 drunk driving crash that led to the death of a 13-year-old girl.
The primary charge against Gregory Goodsell was second-degree murder in connection with the death of Claire Zisserson, who was traveling to New Hampshire with her mother and a friend for a snowboarding trip in the early morning of December 29, 2019.
Goodsell had left a work Christmas party in his company car and was driving home under the influence of marijuana, cocaine and alcohol, prosecutors said. He ran a red light in Pembroke and struck the Subaru Outback being ridden by Elizabeth Zisserson, Claire Zisserson and Kendall Zemotel. Claire died at Boston Children’s Hospital, and Elizabeth and Kendall suffered permanent complications from the crash.
The defense argued that Goodsell was too intoxicated to make decisions and process information, and could not have known what he was doing when the crash occurred. An element of second-degree murder requires proof of intent, or awareness of the circumstances to perform an act that a reasonable person would know would likely result in someone’s death.
More: Crash kills 13-year-old girl. But was it murder? Jury now deliberating
According to the prosecution, Goodsell’s refusal to call an Uber, his ignoring of attempts by others to stop him from driving, and his statements immediately after the accident suggest he was aware of his actions.
After an eight-day trial, the 12-person jury deliberated for nearly two days before reaching a verdict. Hours before announcing its verdict, the jury asked Judge Diane Freniere to reread the jury instructions for the elements required to be found on the charge of second-degree murder.
Goodsell was also found guilty of manslaughter by negligent vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or higher, two counts of driving under the influence causing serious bodily injury and leaving the scene of an accident causing property damage.
He will be held without bail until his sentencing hearing at 9 a.m. on October 3.
Hannah Morse writes about growth and development for The Patriot Ledger. Contact her at hmorse@patriotledger.com.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Verdict reached in trial of drunk driver who killed 13-year-old in MA
