This archive report was first published on 22 November 2019.
On November 12, 2019, a Worcester Superior Court judge handed down a 5-7 year prison sentence to David Njuguna, a 33-year-old Kenyan man convicted in the death of Massachusetts State Trooper Thomas Clardy in a vehicle crash.
On March 16, 2016, Njuguna's car slammed into the back of Trooper Clardy's cruiser during a traffic stop on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Charlton. The impact was fatal, and Njuguna was subsequently charged with involuntary manslaughter, misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide, and operating a motor vehicle to endanger.
Prosecutors alleged that Njuguna was high on marijuana at the time of the crash, but the judge ruled that the prosecution did not prove impairment. Njuguna had been held in jail since March 2016 and was given credit for the 1,283 days served while awaiting trial.
