LOWELL, MASS. (WHDH) - A jury has found a Haverhill man guilty of negligent driving in connection with the death of a state trooper, officials said Friday.
Trooper Thomas Devlin, 58, was in the breakdown line conducting a traffic stop on Route 3 in Billerica in July of 2018 when Kevin Francis struck him while driving. Devlin suffered head and leg injuries and after undergoing several surgeries, he died in 2020.
After Devlin died, prosecutors charged Francis with motor vehicle homicide, but those charges were downgraded last month after a medical examiner determined a rare brain disease contributed to Devlin’s death.
“Trooper Tommy Devlin was an amazing man, great trooper, friend — a trooper’s trooper,” said State Police Trooper’s Union President Patrick McNamara.
Devlin’s family waited for more than an hour and the jury deliberated and ultimately came back with a guilty verdict.
“It was an incredible, incredible relief. It’s what we hoped and prayed for,” Devlin’s widow Nancy said outside the courthouse. “We are hoping it is just a chapter that can close for us so we can move forward.”
Devlin’s wife said the past four years have been gutwrenching for her and her family.
“In one day that all changed. It all changed because somebody did not pay attention and did not move over and it just destroyed our lives,” she said. “He was the most amazing man I have ever known.”
Francis will be back in court for sentencing on Monday and could face up to two years in prison.
(Copyright (c) 2025 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)