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05/22/2015 12:00 AMA Branford man who drove drunk and crashed his vehicle, killing his wife, was sentenced Friday to 2 years in prison.
Vincent Mauro, 32, appeared before Superior Court Judge Patrick Clifford March 4 and entered a no contest plea to second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle.
The deal meant Mauro agreed to serve two years rather than go to trial.
Mauro has previously has said he wants to serve his time and “stop the suffering for both families.”
The crash happened Aug. 18, 2013, when Mauro, who was driving a Mercedes-Benz, went off the road and hit a tree on Brushy Plain Road in Branford. His wife, passenger Megan McAuliffe, 29, died from her injuries.
Mauro previously had pled out to the same charge. However, in December, Judge Maureen Keegan found the prior plea agreement to be “inappropriate” and she transferred the case to Clifford for additional plea negotiations. This prior agreement had been for Mauro to get a maximum of one year in prison, with the right to argue for less time.
The original plea agreement was overturned after the victim’s family objected, saying they were not notified beforehand or given an opportunity to voice their opinions, and they wanted Mauro to serve more than one year.
Attorney Tara Knight of New Haven, who represents Mauro, has said her client loved his wife and is devastated by what happened.
Branford police have said Mauro’s blood alcohol level was at 0.18 percent, over the legal limit of 0.08 percent, when he crashed. Two police officers pulled the victim from the burning car, and she was rushed to Yale-New Haven Hospital, but she didn’t survive.
The victim’s mother, Jean McAuliffe, administratrix for her estate, filed a civil wrongful death lawsuit in October against Mauro and his mother, Lisa Mauro, the owner of the car. The civil case is pending.