Executive Summary
- Family of Angelo Schettino alleges State Police covered up details of a fatal 2023 crash involving Sgt. Scott Quigley.
- Hospital records reportedly show Sgt. Quigley had a BAC of 0.11, above the legal limit, at the time of the collision.
- Crash details were revealed during discovery for the unrelated Phan brothers murder retrial, where Quigley was a lead investigator.
- Quigley has been suspended without pay, and the case has been referred to the Suffolk County DA for potential criminal charges.
The family of a man who died following a collision with a Massachusetts State Police cruiser is preparing to amend their wrongful death lawsuit to include civil rights violations, alleging that law enforcement supervisors withheld critical evidence regarding the trooper’s sobriety and speed. Attorney Mike Mahoney, representing the estate of 37-year-old Angelo Schettino, announced the legal strategy after documents surfaced suggesting State Police Sgt. Scott Quigley may have been intoxicated during the December 2023 incident.
According to Mahoney, Sgt. Quigley was allegedly driving at nearly twice the posted speed limit when his cruiser crossed the double yellow line in Woburn, striking a specialized van transporting Schettino. A report from the Disabled Persons Protection Commission states that Schettino, a paraplegic man returning from a medical appointment, suffered severe internal injuries and sepsis following the crash. He was removed from life support and died on Jan. 13, 2024, approximately one month after the collision. Mahoney contends that State Police supervisors misled the family about the status of the investigation and delayed the release of critical files for over a year.
Court filings indicate that while Quigley initially reported having no memory of the crash and attributed it to extreme fatigue, hospital records obtained during discovery revealed a blood alcohol content of 0.11, exceeding the legal limit of 0.08. Mahoney stated that the State Police failed to conduct a standard accident reconstruction and noted that the crash investigator did not interview Quigley until eight days after the event. The attorney described the internal handling of the case as a potential cover-up, asserting that the investigation was labeled a “medical” situation without specifying the cause.
The details regarding Quigley’s crash and toxicology results were brought to light through an unrelated legal proceeding: the murder retrial of the Phan brothers. Quigley served as a lead investigator in the 2020 murder case, and defense attorneys for the Phan brothers sought discovery that ultimately exposed the crash reports. Consequently, the State Police have suspended Quigley without pay, and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office has referred the matter to the Suffolk County District Attorney to review potential criminal charges.
Quigley’s defense attorney, Christina Pujals Ronan, issued a statement maintaining that the crash was a “tragic accident” and not a criminal act. Ronan emphasized Quigley’s 17 years of law enforcement service and his cooperation with investigators, stating that objective evidence will support his account. Meanwhile, the Schettino family seeks to expand their lawsuit under the theory that the alleged mishandling of the investigation violated the victim’s civil rights.
Administrative Oversight & Legal Ramifications
The intersection of this civil liability case with an active murder retrial highlights significant procedural vulnerabilities within internal police investigations. The alleged delay in conducting standard accident reconstruction and the 13-month gap in releasing meaningful records raise serious questions regarding transparency and chain-of-command accountability. Should the civil rights claim proceed, it may establish a precedent regarding how internal affairs investigations are shielded from public or legal scrutiny, particularly when officer conduct potentially impacts the credibility of unrelated criminal prosecutions.
It is important to note that Sgt. Scott Quigley has not been convicted of any crime in relation to this incident, and all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
