A former Massachusetts State Police trooper pleaded guilty Wednesday to motor vehicle homicide in connection with a 2021 fatal crash in Boston that took the life of a Winthrop man, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
Monson resident Kristopher Carr, 29, was off-duty and alleged to have had “numerous” alcoholic drinks when his SUV crashed on I-93 south and caused 51-year-old Christopher Zike to fatally crash his motorcycle, the district attorney’s office said. The former state trooper was originally charged with motor vehicle homicide by operating under the influence of alcohol and negligent operation following the crash.
A Suffolk County Superior Court judge sentenced Carr to two and a half years in prison with 18 months to serve — suspended for three years — and ordered that he submit to a substance abuse evaluation and undergo any recommended follow-up treatment, the district attorney’s office said. Per state law, his license will remain suspended for 15 years.
State Police responded to the fatal crash on Oct. 29, 2021, around 1:25 a.m. and found Carr attempting to medically aid Zike, the district attorney’s office said. Zike was ultimately declared dead at Boston Medical Center, and Carr and his girlfriend — who was in the front passenger seat of his SUV at the time of the crash — were treated for minor injuries at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Witness statements and video footage from several businesses confirmed that Carr drank “numerous” alcoholic drinks the night of the crash, the district attorney’s office said. Investigators also discovered that he was leaning over to kiss his girlfriend when his SUV swerved to the left and struck the center median, blocking the two leftmost lanes of I-93 south.
Zike was driving to a 2 a.m. shift at the Ikea in Stoughton when he crashed into Carr’s crashed SUV, the district attorney’s office said. Zike was thrown from his motorcycle and fatally injured.
“We were reminded in a most tragic way today how a few extremely bad decisions ended one life and impacted so many others,” Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a Wednesday press release. “Christopher Zike’s life will be remembered and mourned by his family and friends, while Kristopher Carr’s life will take a vastly different path than he likely intended.”
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