A commercial truck driver who took drugs the same day he was involved in a horrific New Hampshire crash that killed seven motorcyclists was acquitted Tuesday of all charges.
The driver, Volodymyr Zhukovsky, told police at the time he caused the accident, but a jury in less than three hours found him not guilty of seven counts of manslaughter and reckless homicide, as well as one count of reckless conduct.
Zhukovsky, 26, was in jail after the crash on June 21, 2019, when he kept spinning back and forth, leading to the head-on collision.
The Massachusetts resident wept as the verdict was read and pointed to the sky as he left the Coos County courtroom.
“Our hearts go out to the victims and their families. Our trial team did an excellent job and we firmly believe the state has proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt,” New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said in a statement.
The father of one of the victims was shocked by the verdict.
Volodymyr Zhukovsky of West Springfield, Mass., reacts to his guilty verdict in Coos County Superior Court in Lancaster, New Hampshire on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. AP
“Killing seven people and he goes down. It’s unbelievable,” said Albert Mazza, whose son Albert “Woody” Mazza Jr. died in the crash.
“It doesn’t make much sense,” added the stricken father. “There are seven dead. There are seven affected families. It’s strange that he didn’t get something.”
But the defense team actually pointed the finger at Mazza Jr., saying he was drunk at the time of the crash. Zhukovsky’s lawyers also argued that Mazza was not looking when he lost control of his motorcycle and slid in front of the truck.
The judge previously filed eight charges related to whether Zhukovsky was immobilized at the time of the crash.
The family of Zhukonsky, who was born in Ukraine, was grateful for the “fair and just trial”.
“Our family extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends affected by this tragedy,” they said, adding that he was a “very honest and kind man.” He would never do anything to hurt anyone.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued an immigration arrest warrant for Zhukovsky after the crash, who was executed after the conviction, a Coos County Department of Corrections official said.
He was issued papers to appear before an immigration judge and will remain in custody pending the hearing, ICE said.
Zhukovsky’s driver’s license should have been suspended in Massachusetts when the crash happened because of a drunken driving arrest in Connecticut two months earlier.
Volodymyr Zhukovsky looks back at the gallery before closing statements in his trial begin. AP
But it was not stopped due to backlog.
The slain bikers, part of the Jarheads motorcycle club, were from New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Massachusetts and ranged in age from 42 to 62.
The Mazza victims, couple Edward and Jo-Ann Corr, Michael Ferrazzi, Desma Oakes, Daniel Pereira and Aaron Perry were traveling in a larger group at the time of the crash.
Defense attorney Jay Duguay argued that authorities ignored their own accident reconstruction unit, which contradicted the claim that Zhukovsky crossed into the oncoming lane. He also mentioned inconsistencies from witnesses.
Prosecutor Scott Chase acknowledged the inconsistencies but noted that witnesses on the stand spoke of “some of the most unimaginable chaos, trauma, death and carnage that we can even imagine three years later.”
He also claimed that Zhukovsky continued to deviate “until he killed people”.
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