This young pick-up driver who mowed down 10 motorcycles, killing seven people in New Hampshire highway carnage in June, now faces more charges.
Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, 23, was arrested near his home in West Springfield, Massachusetts, three days after the carnage on a fugitive-from-justice charge. He was initially charged with seven counts of negligent homicide.
Now more charges have been added: seven counts of manslaughter, seven counts of negligent homicide-DUI, seven counts of negligent homicide, one count of aggravated driving while intoxicated and one count of reckless conduct.
It will be alleged that Zhukovskyy crossed the centre yellow line and crashed into a group of oncoming riders from the JarHeads Marine veterans group.
The riders were on their way to a charity event in New Hampshire.
Jail time
Under New Hampshire law, negligent driving can be charged as a Class A if Zhukovskyy was intoxicated at the time.
Zhukovsky initially told officers he was leaning down to get something in his truck.
However, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says Zhukovskyy tested positive for some type of narcotic or amphetamine at the time of the crash.
That makes it a Class A felony, the term can go up to 15 years.
He now faces even more serious charges and, if found guilty, could face serious jail time.
The judge may apply either concurrent or consecutive penalties, but there is no law requiring them to do so.
If they are consecutive, it could amount to 105 years in jail.
Zhukovskyy has pleaded not guilty to the fugitive-from-justice charge and has waived his extradition to New Hampshire to face the murder charges in November 2019.
He is a legal immigrant with a probationary green card who has been living in the USA for 13 years with his family. He may be deported back to the Ukraine if he is ever released from police custody.
Zhukovskyy has two prior drink-driving convictions.
Highway carnage
The victims were members and associates of the Marine Jarheads Motorcycle Club who had just left their accommodation to attend their AGM.
They were hit by a Dodge 2500 pick-up truck carrying a long flat-bed trailer.
Club JarHeads president Manny Ribeiro says the driver “turned hard left into us and took out pretty much everyone behind me”.
Because the trailer was attached and it was such a big trailer, it was like a whip. It just cleaned us out.”
Among the carnage were a husband and wife.
The club consists of active duty or honourably discharged Marines and FMF Corpsmen.
Three people were also injured and taken to nearby hospitals.
The ages of the victims ranged from 42 to 62.
A gofundme account has been set up to rally support for the families of the victims.
It raised nearly $229,000 in the first day from more than 4720 people from across the US. It has raised almost $US590,000 ($A684,284) from more than 11,000 supporters.
As a result of crash investigations that found the driver should have had his licence revoked for previous drug charges, the Massachusetts motor vehicles chief has resigned.
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com