Crash driver pleads not guilty to negligent homicide

LANCASTER — The truck driver in the Randolph fatal motorcycle accident pleaded not guilty Tuesday to seven counts of negligent homicide.

Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, 23, of West Springfield, Mass., waived arraignment and agreed to be held in preventive detention at Coos County Jail in West Stewartstown pending trial. The parties also agreed to a jury trial in November at Coos County Superior Court in Lancaster.

The complaints allege Zhukovskyy was driving a 2016 Dodge 2500 pickup truck with an attached trailer erratically west on Route 2 in Randolph and the vehicle crossed the double yellow center line into the eastbound lane colliding with at least five motorcycles traveling east to Gorham. Killed as a result of the collision were Albert Mazza, 59, of Lee, Daniel Pereira, 58, of Riverside, R.I., Michael Ferrazi, 62, of Contoocook, Aaron Perry, 45, of Lee, Desma Oakes, 42, of Concord, and Edward and Joan Corr, both 58 of Lakeview, Mass.,

Negligent homicide is a Class B felony carrying a sentence of three and a half years to seven years upon conviction plus a fine of up to $2,000.

The announcement that the arraignment was waived came approximately two hours before the scheduled video arraignment. Public Defender Melissa Lynn Davis is representing Zhukovskyy.

In holding him in preventive detention the bail order states Zhukovskyy’s criminal and driving history “exhibit a pattern of operating a motor vehicle in a dangerous manner” and if released, “he will likely present a danger to the safety of defendant or the public.”

If he is released, the bail order stipulates he will not be allowed to operate a motor vehicle, possess a firearm, travel outside the state of New Hampshire, and must surrender his passport.

Superior Court Justice Peter Bornstein granted the state’s motion to seal the probable cause affidavit for at least 90 days. The state argued release of the information could compromise the ongoing investigation and the grand jury’s ability to conduct its investigation.

According to the Boston Globe, Zhukovskyy’s record shows two arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol. The most recent arrest was last month in East Windsor, Conn. His lawyer in that case said Zhukovskky denies being intoxicated and the case has not come to trial yet. He was also arrested on a drunk driving charge in Massachusetts in 2013 and ultimately lost his license for 210 days and was placed on probation for a year.

Massachusetts State Police also reported that when they arrested him at his home in West Springfield Monday, they found wax packets at his residence containing what authorities believe is heroin.

He had recently been hired by Westfield Transport in West Springfield, Mass and was reportedly on his second drive for the company when the accident occurred at approximately 6:30 p.m., Friday, June 21.

Records from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration indicate that Westfield Transport, has been cited for various violations in the past two years, MassLive.com reported.

Phones rang unanswered at the company. The owner has previously said he was cooperating with the investigation.

Zhukovskyy’s father, who goes by the same name, told the Boston Herald that his son is a Ukrainian national and has permanent resident status in the U.S. The younger Zhukovskyy’s court file includes a letter dated Sunday from a deportation officer from Immigration and Customs Enforcement requesting details on his 2017 heroin and cocaine convictions.

The crash victims were members or supporters of the Marine JarHeads, a New England motorcycle club that includes Marines and their spouses and ranged in age from 42 to 62. Four were from New Hampshire, two from Massachusetts and one from Rhode Island.

JarHeads president Manny Ribeiro, who survived the crash, said he just remembers an “explosion” and the trailer from the truck wiping out most of the bikers behind him. The crash would not have been so deadly, he said, if not for the trailer.

After the crash, Ribeiro recalled seeing Zhukovskyy “screaming and running around” in the road before authorities arrived and took him away.

Law enforcement officials and first responders said the scene was one of the most horrific in the state’s history. One longtime search and rescue responder, Bill Arnold of Randolph, said the only thing comparable in his experience was the 1967 Mount Washington Cog Railway derailment that killed 8 people and injured 72.

(Michael Casey of The Associate Press contributed to this story.)