A Branford man has been charged in the fiery crash that killed his wife in August and police said his blood alcohol content was more than twice the legal limit.
Police said Vincent Mauro, 31, was speeding on Brushy Plains Road just before 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, August 18, lost control of the car, went off the right side of the road and hit a large tree.
The vehicle was on fire when emergency crews arrived and Mauro’s wife, Megan Mcauliffe, 28, was trapped and the car.
She was pulled from the vehicle and transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where she died the next day.
Police obtained Mauro’s medical records, which indicated that he had a blood alcohol concentration of .181, police said. That is more than double the state’s legal limit of .08 BAC.
Mauro was arrested on an arrest warrant and charged with second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle, driving while intoxicated, reckless driving and failure to drive right.
“Our agency’s deepest sympathy goes out the to the Mcauliffe and Mauro families for the tragic loss of their beloved daughter and family member. However, the criminal justice system cannot ignore the fact that Vincent Mauro’s deliberate acts were a significant cause in Megan’s death,” Chief Kevin Halloran said in a statement.
Mauro was arraigned on the charges Monday afternoon in New Haven Superior Court.
His father, Ralph Mauro of Branford, spoke about the tragedy outside the courthouse.
"It's just an unfortunate situation. The way things happened, it could have been my son there so it's just a horrible thing to get through and we're doing the best we can," said Ralph Mauro.
Police are still looking to interview people who have information about the couple’s activities before the crash.
Mauro was released on a $100,000 bond. He's due back in court on November 7.
Anyone with information should call Officer Jay Kaufman at 203-481-4241.
