HAVERHILL, MASS. (WHDH) - A 20-year old Methuen woman was speeding in and out of traffic and had a blood-alcohol level that was more than twice the legal limit before she crashed in Haverhill, killing her 18-year-old friend in 2018, prosecutors said.
Emily McGovern was arraigned Friday in Haverhill District Court on charges including felony motor vehicle homicide and manslaughter, according to Essex County District Attorney spokeswoman Carrie Kimball.
Judge Stephen Abany released McGovern without bail but ordered her to remain drug and alcohol-free with random screens and not to drive.
Emergency crews responding to a rollover crash on Interstate 495 on March 31, 2018, pulled Alexis Spartz from McGovern’s overturned Lincoln sedan. She was taken to Lawrence General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
McGovern, who has since recovered, was flown to Tufts Medical Center after initially undergoing treatment at Lawrence General.
Witnesses told investigators that they saw McGovern driving at a high rate of speed and weaving in and out of traffic before the violent wreck.
Testing revealed that McGovern had a blood alcohol level of 0.19, Kimball said. The legal blood alcohol level for drivers under 21 is .02.
McGovern is due back in court for a status hearing on Aug. 8.
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