The man who struck and killed Connecticut State Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier on Interstate 84 in Southington in May, then left the scene, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Alex Oyola-Sanchez, 45, of Hartford, had accepted a plea deal and the judge imposed the sentence on Tuesday.
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WATCH HERE“I’m sorry because it was not my intention,” Oyola-Sanchez said through a translator during the sentencing. “I ask the family for forgiveness.”
State police said Trooper Pelletier had stopped another driver on I-84 East in Southington and Oyola-Sanchez drove into the shoulder, hit Pelletier and his vehicle, and kept going until his tire failed on I-84 East in Farmington.
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SIGN UP Trooper Pelletier left behind his wife, Dominique, and their two young sons, Troy and Zachary.
Dominique Pelletier spoke in court in February, sharing the pain she went through while telling their two young sons that their father had died.
She said she wanted the man who caused her husband's death to serve a 30-year sentence.
“I stand before you today in the same dress I wore to bury my husband, the same dress I wore to hold my two little boys in while they cried tears for their father, the same dress I never imagined I’d be wearing again. Never imagined I’d be standing before a courtroom fighting for justice for my husband’s wrongful death,” she said.
“I feel it is unfair to allow this man to enter back into society while our children are still minors. How am I supposed to protect them from this evil?” she said.
Oyola-Sanchez was captured moments after the crash and arrested.
According to the arrest report, Oyola-Sanchez told police he took fentanyl, cocaine and what he believed was Klonopin before the incident.
He was charged with manslaughter in the second degree, operating under the influence of drugs or alcohol, evading responsibility death and additional charges.
On Tuesday, Master Sgt. Todd Fedigan, the president of the Connecticut State Police Union, spoke during the sentencing and asked the judge to impose the maximum allowable sentence.
Oyola-Sanchez had previous convictions in his native Puerto Rico for third-degree murder and three counts of attempted homicide, according to a state bail commissioner.
Pelletier, a Southington native, was the 26th Connecticut trooper to die in the line of duty since the agency was founded in 1903.
State Police Colonel Daniel Loughman issued a statement following the sentencing, calling the incident a senseless death.
Loughman said he submitted a letter in the pre-sentence investigation, calling for the maximum sentence for Oyola-Sanchez.
"There is no preparation for a day like May 30, 2024, the day Aaron was taken from us. His bright future was tragically stolen from him and his beloved family, and due to the reckless actions of the defendant, Aaron became the 26th Connecticut trooper to be killed in the line of duty," Loughman said in his statement.
"Actions have consequences, and taking a life given in service must carry the full weight of the law. No sentence will feel sufficient since no amount of prison time will bring Aaron back. We, as law enforcement, rely so deeply on the scales of justice being even. The scales will always feel imbalanced after the loss of Aaron," the statement continued.
You can read the statement in its entirety below.
