Massachusetts man sentenced to prison for fatal crash that killed 20-year-old Rhode Island woman

BOSTON, February 28, 2023 — A judge Tuesday handed down a prison sentence for a Massachusetts man convicted of manslaughter in a 2019 drunk driving crash that killed a Rhode Island woman and seriously injured another, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.

Suffolk Superior Court Judge Katie Rayburn sentenced 26-year-old Dylan Ethridge of East Boston to six to ten years in prison on the charge of operating under the influence resulting in manslaughter, plus concurrent two-and-a-half year sentences on operating under the influence resulting in serious bodily injury and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. Rayburn sentenced Etheridge to three years of probation following the completion of his prison term.

Etheridge was convicted by a jury on December 9.

At about 1:05 a.m. on May 5, 2019, while traveling down Bennington Street in East Boston at a high rate of speed, Etheridge hit several parked cars, causing his vehicle to flip and skid across the roadway, ultimately hitting a concrete barrier and leaving the occupants trapped inside. Etheridge fled the scene prior to the arrival of first responders. Approximately eight hours after the crash detectives learned Etheridge checked himself into Massachusetts General Hospital to seek treatment. The surviving victim spoke with detectives while receiving care at MGH and identified Etheridge as the driver. Blood collected from the steering wheel at the scene was later determined to belong to Etheridge.

20-year-old Amber Pelletier of Central Falls, RI died in the crash. A second female passenger was seriously injured but survived.

Pelletier was a student at St. Leo University who participated in cheerleading and dance. She was beloved by her classmates, her friends, her animals, and her family and was remembered for her bright spirit. Her family established the Amber Pelletier Memorial Scholarship in her name.

“This man’s decision to drive so fast on the street—in this case, a busy city street—was senseless and perilous and ultimately deadly. It’s a decision that led to unending pain and anguish for everyone involved, especially for the family of Amber Pelletier, a young woman just starting out in life,” Hayden said.