Another Vehicular Homicide Case in Barnstable County

The following article appears in today's Cape Cod Times. While it has nothing at all to do with my Mother's death, allegedly caused by Christopher G. Parker, it does go to show how lenient the sentences for vehicular homicide while under the influence are in Barnstable County. This man in the article below could have received up to 15 years in State prison, but instead was sentenced to 2½ years in the Barnstable County Correctional Facility, with 18 months to serve. I find this sentence an insult against the person who lost their life and the surviving family members!

How is it that human life is no more valuable then putting the guilty party behind bars for only 18 months? How is it that you can murder someone with an automobile and yet not get a sentence that is in line with other non-automobile related murders? As I see it after only 18 months the victim is still dead and yet the guilty party receives not too much more then a scolding by way of a brief 18 month sentence. What does this type of enforcement say about this State to our children or others who are new to Massachusetts?

It is my wish thatthe Massachusetts District Courts, as well as the District Attorney's offices do their job to the best of their ability, which includes following ALL leads even if they are given by the victim's family or the State Police, return calls by the victim's family promptly and additionally charge the defendant with all the charges that apply and are due, especially if there is death resulting. I'm sure other families who have lost loved ones to vehicular homicide or homicide by motor vehicle share my feelings that the guilty party seems to be much more important in our criminal court system then the person who has lost their life due to the selfishly negligent actions of the guilty man or woman. Innocent until proven guilty is a great concept, one that I wholeheartedly support. However once the defendant is found guilty the court system should sentence them to the full extent of the law. How else will the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts be taken seriously and not be what is considered a joke that enables habitual offenders?

Man pleads guilty to vehicular homicide

By Hilary Russ Staff Writer Barnstable - Victims of a 2005 drunken driving accident in Bourne described in agonizing detail yesterday the horrible moments that still haunt their family when their unborn baby Holly was lost after the crash.

''This tragedy defines who I am today. I know it shouldn't, but it does,” the unborn baby's mother said in court. ''My hope is that people will learn from this, be scared by it and make different choices.”

Adrien Aube, 69, of Plymouth pleaded guilty yesterday in Barnstable Superior Court to motor vehicle homicide while operating under the influence of alcohol and negligent operation, a charge that carries a sentence of up to 15 years in state prison. He also pleaded guilty to operating under the influence of alcohol, causing serious injury.

On July 17, 2005, a five-vehicle crash on Route 25 in Bourne seriously injured a pregnant woman, whose unborn baby was subsequently lost.

Adrien Aube of Plymouth, whose drunken driving caused the crash, has pleaded guilty to motor vehicle homicide in the case.

After playing golf the day of the crash, Aube downed several mixed vodka drinks before heading onto Route 25, Assistant District Attorney Holly Harney said in court. His speeding black Ford Thunderbird careened across the median into oncoming traffic a mile west of the Bourne Bridge. He slammed head-on into the Toyota Camry driven by the pregnant woman and hit several other cars.

Harney said the unborn baby was ''viable” and was pronounced dead as a result of injuries sustained in the crash.

After reaching a plea deal, Aube was sentenced to 2½ years in the Barnstable County Correctional Facility, with 18 months to serve.

After release, he will be on probation for three years. His license is revoked for the rest of his life, and on his release from jail he must view a photo of the unborn baby and read the victim impact statements submitted to the court.

Aube, with white hair, a white moustache and glasses, bowed his head as he listened to statements read by the unborn baby's mother and father.

Blow by blow, the parents laid out a catalogue of agonies. They recounted the woman fading in and out of consciousness as firefighters unpinned her from under the dashboard. They spoke of several large blood clots in the woman's lungs and the removal of her spleen.

''You've introduced fear into our lives,” the unborn baby's father said. His wife said she remembers Holly's purple lips as the baby lay dead under a sheet. She said she has nightmares of babies turning into stone.

Hilary Russ can be reached at hruss@capecodonline.com.
(Published: March 30, 2007)