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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Families of 3 workers killed on I-91 in March attend suspect's arraignment
SPRINGFIELD — After nearly 29 years of marriage, Melissa Almeida now carries a tiny vial of her late husband's ashes everywhere she goes. Her husband, Ryan Almeida, 48, was one of three construction employees working an overnight shift on a road job in West Springfield in March, repairing a guardrail damaged in a crash. He didn't survive the night. Prosecutors said Bilal Griffith, 29, of West Springfield, plowed into Ryan Almeida and two of his coworkers while speeding off Exit 10A on Interstate 91 northbound. Griffith then flipped the Jeep Cherokee he was driving onto its roof, and fled the scene on foot, prompting police officers to search for him with dogs and helicopters, according to prosecutors. At Griffith's arraignment in Hampden Superior Court Tuesday morning, Melissa Almeida saw the man accused of killing her husband for the first time. She heaved a sob when he was escorted into the courtroom in handcuffs and shackles. After the proceeding, when asked how she was coping, she responded 'I just breathe.' She held her husband's ashes in a blue heart-shaped container, and she told a reporter she has set up a makeshift memorial to her husband in her living room in Brockton. The couple had four children and three grandchildren. Almeida drove out from their hometown, a journey of about 100 miles, simply to attend the brief court proceeding. The families of Igor Costa, 26, of Marlborough, and Raul Bohorquez, also of Brockton, 57, were in attendance. The families were unable to attend Griffith's first arraignment in Springfield District Court in March. Griffith remains held on a $1 million cash bail and once again pleaded not guilty to three counts of manslaughter and one count of leaving the scene of a personal injury crash with death resulting. Almeida said she received a knock on the door around 5 a.m. the morning her husband was killed. She was met by a Massachusetts state trooper and two managers from Premier Fence, the workers' employer. 'I just knew right away, right then that something terrible had happened,' Almeida recalled. A pretrial hearing in Griffith's case is set for Sept. 8. Springfield, Longmeadow PDs warn of scams with officers demanding Bitcoin, other payments 400 hungry WMass families fed with donation effort by Price Rite, partners Runners race for a cause at Flutie 5K in Bernardston Big Y plans changes to its Tower Square store Read the original article on MassLive.
Boston Globe
02-04-2025
- Boston Globe
Alleged drunken driver in triple-fatality crash in W. Springfield makes brief court appearance
Prosecutors did not object. Griffith remains held on $1 million bail. Advertisement The deadly crash occurred just before 1 a.m. Friday as the three workers were repairing a guardrail on Interstate 91, officials said. Griffith was driving a 2021 Jeep Cherokee that flipped over during the crash, according to prosecutors. Officials identified the three men killed as Ryan Almeida, 48; Raul Bohorquez, 57; and Igor Costa, 26. They were pronounced dead at the scene. The men worked for Premier Fence of Canton. 'As a company we are devastated,' said Martha Mendes Borges, the company's human relations manager. 'I hope that police will hold this person accountable to the fullest extent they can in the courts.' Griffith allegedly 'failed to maintain the confines of the ramp, crashing into the guardrail where the crew was working,' Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni said in a statement. Advertisement The crash happened on the north side of the highway near Exit 10A, Gulluni said. 'The vehicle hit the guardrail and flipped over, traveling some distance before it came to a final resting position halfway down the ramp,' according to a State Police report filed in court. The work site had a State Police cruiser and a crash truck, which serve as protective barriers between oncoming traffic and work zones. Investigators who processed Griffith's overturned SUV recovered his sneaker and cell phone inside the vehicle, which had its airbags deployed and its driver's side window 'blown out.' The report said a dash camera from a truck at the work site captured the crash. 'The video depicted Costa, Almeida, and Bohorquez working on the left side of [the] off-ramp guardrail when the Jeep Cherokee ... appeared to be traveling at a high rate of speed (well above the posted speed limit) [and] crashed into the guardrail impacting Costa, Almeida, and Bohorquez.' After the crash, Griffith abandoned the car and ran away, leading to an extensive search that included a State Police helicopter and dozens of law enforcement officers, Gulluni said. He was arrested around 6 a.m. behind a convenience store, according to the report. A trooper who arrested Griffith could 'smell the strong odor of alcoholic beverage' emanating from him, according to the police report. At booking, he agreed to a breath test, which registered a blood alcohol level of .103 roughly six hours after the crash. The legal limit is .08. Griffith voluntarily spoke with authorities after receiving his Miranda rights, officials said. The interview was recorded on video. Advertisement 'Griffith ultimately admitted to consuming alcohol somewhere in the North End of Springfield,' the report said. 'Griffith stated he attempted to drive home and was involved in an accident on the exit 10A off-ramp from Interstate 91 [northbound].' According 'Ryan was an amazing, kind-hearted, and hard-working man, always willing to help whoever needed it. He was generous with his time and energy, always going above and beyond for everyone in his life,' the fundraising site said. 'He worked tirelessly to take care of his family.' Almeida lived in Brockton, as did Bohorquez, a native of Maracaibo, Venezuela. He had worked in construction before being hired by Premier Fence about a year ago, according to the company and his family. Costa had also been hired by Premier more than a year ago and lived in Marlborough. The company has on Wednesday had received more than $47,000. Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report. Travis Andersen can be reached at
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Yahoo
‘Horrible tragedy': Man facing manslaughter charges after 3 workers killed on Mass. highway, DA says
A man is facing criminal charges in connection with a crash on a highway in western Massachusetts early Friday morning that left three workers dead, authorities said. The three victims, all men, were in an established worksite repairing damaged guardrails on Route 91 north in West Springfield when the driver of a 2021 Jeep Cherokee took Exit 10A at a 'very high rate of speed' and fatally struck the workers, Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni announced during a Friday afternoon news conference. 'I want to express my condolonces to the loved ones of the three victims of this horrible, horrible tragedy,' Gulluni said. 'Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this hour.' Gulluni identified the victims, who all worked for Premier Fence in Canton, as Igor Costa of Marlboro, Ryan Almeida of Brockton, and Raul Bojorquez, also of Brockton. The Jeep Cherokee subsequently flipped over on its roof in the middle of the exit ramp, prompting a large emergency response, according to Gulluni. Law enforcement officials responding to the scene of the wreck learned that the driver, later identified as Bilal Griffith, had exited his vehicle and fled the scene on foot, Gulluni said. Massachusetts State Police troopers and West Springfield Police Department canvassed the area with the help of a state police helicopter and K9 teams in the hours after the crash. Griffith, of West Springfield, was later surrounded and arrested in the area of Morgan Road in West Springfield, according to Gulluni. He was slated to be arraigned Friday afternoon in Springfield District Court on three counts of manslaughter and one count of leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death. 'Advocates for my office have contacted the families of the three victims to express our sympathy and begin to engage with them around the criminal justice process,' Gulluni said. Feerick described his employees at Premier Fence as a big family and said grief counselors were being made available. 'Our employees love what they do. We are a family and work together to demonstrate the highest standards of professionalism, with job safety being priority #1. Today, we gathered as a team with the support of grief counselors to help us process this incredibly difficult news,' Feerick said in the statement. State police detectives assigned to Gulluni's office are leading an investigation into the crash. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
