BARNSTABLE, MASS. (WHDH) - A man involved in a crash on Cape Cod over the weekend that left a new father and Marine veteran dead should not have been released following an earlier drunken driving arrest, Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O’Keefe said.
Mickey Rivera, 22, was being pursued by police for driving erratically early Saturday morning on Route 28 in Cotuit when authorities said his vehicle crashed head-on into an SUV driven by 32-year-old Kevin Quinn, of Mashpee, who was returning home from a hospital after visiting with his wife and newborn daughter.
Rivera and Quinn were both killed in the crash. Jocelyn Goyette, 24, was riding in Rivera’s car. She was taken to an area hospital with serious injuries, where she died Monday.
“He was a very loving, fun and awesome husband,” Kevin’s mother, Janet Quinn said. “He was so proud to be a dad.”
O’Keefe admitted that Rivera’s drunken driving case was handled improperly by an inexperienced prosecutor who had only been on the job for a month.
The prosecutor, whose name was not released, allowed Rivera to go free on personal recognizance last year. At the time, Rivera had been out on bail from charges related to a fatal shooting in 2015.
A more experienced prosecutor would have requested the judge to order Rivera held behind bars, according to O’Keefe.
Quinn’s distraught family has promised to keep his legacy alive.
“I just can’t tell how were overwhelmed with the amount of support from the community,” Janet Quinn said.
A GoFundMe has been set up for Quinn’s family. The fundraiser raised more $200,000 in two days. In addition to monetary donations, the family is collecting diapers and other newborn essentials.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)