State police have arrested a 19-year-old Harwinton man in connection with the death of his 17-year-old girlfriend last year.
They said Cooper Anderson Ouellette, 19, is accused of running over 17-year-old Sophie Ringquist, of Burlington, dragging her, dropping her off at her home and failing to call 911 after she was injured, according to the arrest warrant.
Ouellette has been charged with manslaughter in the first degree and delivery of alcohol to a minor and he appeared in court on Monday.
Ringquist either fell from or jumped out of his Ouellette’s truck on Field View Drive in Burlington on May 20, 2023, after a party in Terryville, where Ouellette drank alcohol and distributed it to others at the party, according to state police.
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The arrest warrant has redacted material and does not identify Ringquist by name, but authorities identified her last year after she died.
As police investigated Ringquist’s death, they determined that Ouellette had picked up her up at her house between 6 p.m. and 6:20 p.m. on May 20, 2023, stopped at a liquor store in Bristol between 7:17 p.m. and 7:35 p.m. and arrived at a friend’s house in Terryville around 8:30 p.m. Police said he then gave alcohol to his friends.
Witnesses told police that the couple had gotten into an argument and Ouellette kicked Ringquist with his boots, shoved her against the side of his truck and interrupted efforts for her to get another ride home, the arrest warrant says.
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During the investigation, police went through video that Ringquist recorded and said Ouellette had stopped his truck on Locust Road, an alarm went off signaling a door opened, there was a commotion that sounded like Ringquist was getting out of the vehicle, then Ouellette “stomped on the gas pedal,” there was a thud and it appeared that the truck hit Ringquist and knocked to the ground, then Ouellette left, according to the arrest warrant.
Citing cell phone data, state police said it appeared that Ringquist was on foot in the area where she was struck, and Ouellette headed back to her and she got back into his truck.
Selfies that Ringquist posted on Snapchat at 11:38 p.m. showed she was crying and had a bloody nose, according to state police.
The arrest warrant goes on to state that surveillance camera images from around 11:50 p.m. showed Ouellette lifting Ringquist from his front passenger seat and moving her, then he ran through an open garage door and called for help.
Ringquist’s parents drove her to the emergency department at Bristol Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 12:51 a.m. on May 21, 2023, state police said.
The office of the chief medical examiner determined that she died of blunt impact injuries of the torso and ruled her death a homicide.
One person who spoke with police told them that Ouellette said Ringquist had felt ill, opened the door of his truck and dove headfirst out of it, the warrant says. When he was able to get her back into the truck, she was groaning.
Another person relayed to police that Ouellette said Ringquist opened the door and fell out while he was almost stopped, then changed his story and said she opened the door while he was driving and fell out of the moving truck and he made no attempt to stop, the arrest warrant says.
When Ouellette spoke with police, he said he was going around 10 miles per hour and she jumped out of his truck, the arrest warrant states.
He turned himself in to police around noon on Friday after learning of a warrant for his arrest.
Ouellette was released on a $50,000 bond.
He was arraigned in New Britain Superior Court on Monday and is due in court next on July 29.
Ringquist’s family released a statement on Monday.
“As Sophie’s Family we would like to thank the state police and all other entities that worked tirelessly over the past fourteen months to find out what happened to her and brought charges against the person responsible for her death. We implore anyone who has been a victim of or witness to domestic violence to stand up for the victim and report it to the police. We would like to thank all friends, family, and people Sophie had an impact on for their continued prayers as we negotiate this part of the process in our continued search for truth and justice for Sophie.”
