Nearly three months after a drunken driving crash in Mystic where a 14-year-old boy was killed, the 17-year-old charged went before a judge on a second-degree manslaughter charge.
The hearing took place Monday in a closed courtroom, and the details were sealed.
The family of the victim, Carson Wilson, watched on inside the courtroom, along with their son Skyler, a passenger in the crash who was seriously injured.
“Today we had an arraignment of the young man,” said John Nazzaro, an attorney representing the Wilson family. “This is a tragic situation. Right now, he’s in confinement, and the court set bond.”
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Nazzaro said the victim’s family wants more than just the teen driver held accountable.
“We’re aware that there were a number of adults which permitted this and participated in enabling of the alcohol distribution, and we hope to hold those people accountable,” Nazzaro said. “There was a massive amount of drinking and serving to minors.”
The crash happened back on Oct. 14 on Fishtown Road in Mystic. Just before 1:30 a.m., Groton police said the 17-year-old, behind the wheel of an SUV, along with three teen passengers, went off the road and hit a tree.
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Carson Wilson, 14, was killed, while the others were seriously injured.
“We’re aware, through our own investigation, that this young man attended parties throughout the county, alcohol was served, there was a gathering at a park of several cars, kids jumping on cars,” Nazzaro said. “Unfortunately, they were permitted to go about their business, which resulted into the early morning crash. This was a preventable event.”
Last week, Groton police charged the 17-year-old driver with second-degree manslaughter, misconduct with a motor vehicle, assault, speeding, reckless driving and more.
Nazzaro said it’s been a heart wrenching few months for the Wilsons.
“They’re grieving,” he said. “They lost a child and another child is recovering and rehabbing from very serious injuries.”
In a statement, the Wilson family said they’d like to see stricter enforcement of drunk driving and a higher legal driving age.
“The teen driver is a good kid, failed by his underdeveloped brain, failed by a broken system, failed by his support system, failed by car makers, and our teens are being failed by a culture that normalizes inebriation as the primary coping mechanism for life's challenges. In Connecticut, we have a zero-tolerance policy regarding teen alcohol consumption, but the system fails in its enforcement. Furthermore, it's time for a serious discussion about policy changes that prioritize safety over tradition. We need to reconsider the minimum age for obtaining a driver's license, raising it to at least 18 years old. Even then, we must examine whether 18 is truly old enough without stricter safeguards, such as comprehensive driver education, extended permit periods, and zero-tolerance laws for alcohol and drugs with no exceptions. Our son's death should not be in vain. It's time for lawmakers, educators, and communities to come together to protect our children and prevent future tragedies.”
The case was continued to next month.