In New Britain, Connecticut, a tragic event reached a legal conclusion when a man involved in the fatal accident that claimed the life of a state trooper was sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment. The decision did not satisfy the grieving widow of the trooper, who advocated for a harsher penalty.
Alex Oyola-Sanchez, a 45-year-old resident of Hartford, stood before the court and expressed remorse to the family of Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier during proceedings at New Britain Superior Court. The courtroom was filled with the late trooperโs family, friends, and fellow state troopers.
Dominique Pelletier, the widow of Trooper Pelletier, had pleaded for a 30-year sentence. At the time of their fatherโs tragic death, their sons were just 3 and 5 years old.
The sentence was the outcome of a plea agreement reached between the defense and prosecution, wherein Oyola-Sanchez admitted guilt to the charge of first-degree manslaughter in February.
Trooper Pelletier, who had served with the state police for nearly a decade, was on duty for overtime traffic enforcement on May 30, 2024. He had stopped a driver for failing to wear a seatbelt on Interstate 84 in Southington. During this routine traffic stop, a pickup truck veered onto the shoulder, striking Pelletier, his police vehicle, and the car he had stopped, before fleeing the scene.
Oyola-Sanchez was apprehended on Interstate 84, several towns away, and faced charges of manslaughter and operating under the influence of substances, among others. Subsequent investigations revealed that he had consumed fentanyl and cocaine earlier on the day of the incident.
It was also disclosed that Oyola-Sanchez had a criminal record in his native Puerto Rico, including a conviction for third-degree murder and three attempts at homicide.
Trooper Pelletier, originally from Southington, became the 26th state trooper to lose his life in the line of duty in Connecticut since the formation of the agency in 1903.