12-03-2025
Reckless driving or 'tragic accident' weighed in fatal crash case
Mar. 12—Ailadi Abreu became enraged over allegations of cheating and drove down an Interstate 293 exit ramp at nearly 70 mph before hitting a BMW in a head-on crash that killed her fiance, Michael Shattuck, in March 2023, a prosecutor said during Abreu's trial Wednesday morning.
The crash between the 2012 Acura TL and the 2019 BMW X7 took place at the intersection of Granite Street during afternoon rush hour traffic in Manchester and was caught on dashboard and security cameras, Assistant Hillsborough County Attorney Frank Coffey said.
Abreu, 37, faces charges of negligent homicide, reckless manslaughter and reckless conduct with a deadly weapon.
Public defender Alayna Trilling, however, said the crash was a tragic accident and a rush to judgment by police.
Abreu wiped tears as she listened to opening statements by both the prosecution and her own defense team. The jury is made up of seven women and five men, one of whom will be an alternate during deliberations.
"They got into an argument over allegations of her infidelity and then she sped up and recklessly drove her car onto the exit ramp at a high rate of speed," Coffey argued.
She passed another car on the right and a 25 mph speed limit sign, he said.
Coffey showed the jury dash-camera footage from a car parked at Dunkin' near the off-ramp, which ended with a woman saying, "Siri, call 911."
Abreu wasn't interviewed by police for eight days after the crash because she needed to be hospitalized.
Details on the couple fighting came from Shattuck's sister, Trilling said.
Trilling said evidence will show that Abreu was driving normal on the highway and "something went wrong" when the car entered the intersection at a high rate of speed and could not navigate the turn.
"What happened was an accident, not a crime," Trilling said.
Abreu, who was not wearing a seat belt, suffered broken bones to her feet, hips, knee and shoulder. She could not remember much about the events leading up to the crash.
Police never investigated the brakes, throttle, tires and steering system. The Acura was purchased used from J.D. Byrider in Manchester with 140,000 miles on it. The used car dealership has since permanently closed.
"Police are tasked with investigating, and in this case, they rushed to judgment," Trilling said. "That tunnel vison led them to fail to investigate a car experiencing a mechanical failure."
Earlier this month, prosecutors sought to block evidence through cross-examination into the investigation of the maintenance history, condition, inspection history and known defects to Abreu's vehicle and all 2012 Acuras.
Judge Amy Messer ruled the defense "may inquire of their action of inaction in checking Byrider maintenance records and their knowledge of Byrider having gone out of business."
The defense can also inquire about an investigation by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into all 2012 Acuras.
Evidence from the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office investigation into the business practices of J.D. Byrider is excluded.
"The speed in not in dispute, but what caused it is something the state cannot answer for," Trilling told the jury.
