Bristol County man sentenced to prison concerning fatal crash that killed Attleboro woman injured Fall River woman

A 63-year-old Attleboro man whose drunk driving in June of 2020 caused the death of a rear seat passenger in his car was recently sentenced to state prison after pleading guilty to two indictments in Fall River Superior Court, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Russell Stone pled guilty to charges of Manslaughter while OUI and OUI with Serious Bodily Injury and was sentenced to serve five to seven years.

On June 7, 2020, at around 3:51 p.m., Norton police responded to Oak Street after receiving a 911 call regarding a single vehicle crash. Witnesses on scene reported a 51-year-old female front seat passenger from Fall River got out of the vehicle screaming that she told Stone to slow down in the moments before he crashed his vehicle into a tree. When first responders arrived on scene, they found Theresa McNutt, 36, of Attleboro, unconscious in the back seat of Stone’s car. She had suffered severe head trauma and was declared deceased at the scene.

During the investigation by Massachusetts State Police troopers assigned to DA Quinn’s office and Norton Police, several empty nip bottles were found in the vehicle. Those bottles were tested for DNA, which matched that of Stone. He was brought to the hospital after the crash and a blood test showed his blood alcohol level at .184, more than twice the legal limit. Further investigation revealed Stone was driving 51 mph in a 30 mph zone.

The female front seat passenger suffered a fractured spine and three fractures in her left arm as a result of the crash. She also reported to police that Stone was screaming in the moments leading up to the crash that he wanted to die.

The case was prosecuted by Co-First Assistant District Attorney Karen O’Sullivan and the state prison sentence was imposed by Judge Daniel O’Shea.

“The defendant should not have been behind the wheel because of his intoxicated state. His reckless driving caused the death of an innocent person. The sentence is appropriate to hold the defendant accountable,” District Attorney Quinn said.