A 19-year-old New Hampshire man, John Burke, has been arrested and charged with negligent homicide in connection with a fatal alleged DUI crash that resulted in the death of a 57-year-old man. According to police, Burke intentionally crashed his vehicle into the man, who was driving a motorcycle.
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A Litchfield Police Department
press release details that the incident occurred on Wednesday, April 30, at around 9:17 p.m. Upon arriving at Route 102 between Cutler Road and Woodburn Road, officers found a Toyota Corolla and a Mitsubishi Outlander that were involved in a head-on collision.Close to the crash lay a motorcycle and the 57-year-old man, later identified as Jeffrey Day. He was wearing a helmet and was unresponsive on the road's shoulder. Day was pronounced dead at the scene. Meanwhile, the driver of the Mitsubishi received treatment on-site and was released. Burke, the Corolla's driver, was transported to Southern Hampshire Medical Center to receive treatment for minor injuries.
An investigation carried out by the Litchfield Police Department determined that Corolla and the motorcycle initial collision was intentional based on evidence and witness statements. The following collision between the Corolla and the Outlander was not intentional. Reportedly, the Outlander's driver is believed to have swerved to miss the incoming motorcyclist who had slid into its lane.
Investigations
According to WMUR, John Burke allegedly tried to intentionally rear-end Jeffrey Day. This led to him losing control, sliding onto the Outlander's lane, as per police. Police investigations alleged that Burke had been driving under the influence at the time of the crash. Moreover, WMUR reports that Burke allegedly had a bottle of alcohol in his Corolla. He allegedly spoke with a witness at the scene about what to tell police, too.
John Burke was charged with negligent homicide, manslaughter - reckless, first-degree assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated DUI - serious bodily injury, reckless conduct - deadly weapon, witness tampering, and vehicular assault. He was arraigned at Merrimack District Court on Thursday, May 1, one day after the incident.
According to Law & Crime, Burke will remain in custody until his probable cause hearing scheduled for Tuesday, May 6.
