Connecticut: Vincent Mauro cuts a sweet plea deal after leaving his sweet wife to die in blazing DUI wreck

Branford man, who killed wife while DUI, teams up with her family to sue construction company

From FOX 61
BRANFORD–After being sentenced to prison in the death of his wife, Vincent Mauro, 32, of Branford, is joining forces with his wife’s family to sue a road construction company.

In May of this year, Mauro was sentenced to eight years in prison, suspended after two years, for driving while drunk and causing a fiery crash that killed his wife, Megan McAuliffe, 29, in August 2013. The crash was at the intersection of Bushy Plains Road and Overland Court in Branford.

Before pleading no contest to second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle, Mauro had said he wanted to serve prison time and stop the suffering for his and his wife’s families.

McAuliffe’s family filed a wrongful death suit against Mauro in October 2014 in regards to the crash. Mauro’s blood alcohol content was twice the legal limit when he crashed.

Now, Megan McAuliffe’s family and estate, along with Mauro, are suing Tilcon Inc. and Costello Industries Inc. for wrongful death.

MORE

Driver in Crash that Led to Wife’s Death Arrested

From BranfordSeven:
Police have arrested the driver in the August 18, 2013 fatal car crash that killed Megan Mcauliffe (DOB 8/31/1984) of 168 Laurel Hill Road Branford.

Vincent Mauro (DOB 7/29/1982), who is the husband of Mcauliffe, also of 168 Laurel Hill Road, was arrested on an Arrest Warrant and charged with Manslaughter 2nd Degree with a Motor Vehicle, Driving While Intoxicated, Reckless Driving and Failure to Drive Right.

The department’s Accident Reconstruction officer, Jay Kaufman determined that the vehicle, being driven by Mauro, was traveling southbound on Brushy Plains Rd. at a high rate of speed when he lost control of the vehicle, traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck a large tree. Subsequent investigation that included the seizure of Mauro’s medical records indicated that Mauro had a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of .181 which is more than double of Connecticut’s legal limit of .08 BAC. MORE

Megan Lee McAuliffe Mauro, 28, of Branford, formerly of Wallingford, died unexpectedly Sunday, August 18, 2013 due to injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident. She was the loving wife of Vincent Mauro.

She was born in New Haven, August 31, 1984, a daughter of Dennis and Jean Coughlin McAuliffe of Wallingford. She was a graduate of Lyman Hall High School Class of 2002 and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of New Haven.

In addition to her husband and parents, she is survived by her two brothers, Daniel and Matthew McAuliffe of Wallingford; her maternal grandparents, Donald and Patricia Coughlin of Hamden; her paternal grandmother, Corrine (Mrs. Daniel) McAuliffe; all of the extended McAuliffe, Coughlin and Mauro Families; and many dear friends. She was predeceased by her paternal grandfather, Daniel McAuliffe, and her nephew, Keano Ferrucci.https://5b899882549f50b722464c4ff801f54f.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html

True to her generous nature, she continues to help others with the donation of organs which resulted in saving three lives.

Megan’s family will receive relatives and friends in The Wallingford Funeral Home, 809 N. Main St. Ext., Wallingford, on Thursday, August 22, 2013, from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday at 10 a.m. directly at Most Holy Trinity Church. Interment will be in All Saints Cemetery in North Haven. In lieu of flowers, gifts in her memory may be made to the Smilow Cancer Center, Office of Development, Yale-New Haven, P.O. Box 1849, New Haven, CT 06508-8721.

From New Haven Register

By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo, New Haven Register

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The family of a Branford woman who was killed in a car crash objected Monday to the driver’s recent plea bargain agreement, as they said no one notified them beforehand.
Vincent Mauro, 32, of Branford, appeared in Superior Court in New Haven on Monday in a hearing before Judge Maureen Keegan.
Mauro crashed a Mercedes on Aug. 18, 2013, in Branford while driving under the influence of alcohol, killing his wife and passenger, Megan McAuliffe, 29. Mauro went off the road and struck a tree on Brushy Plain Road in Branford. Mauro recently entered a no-contest
plea to second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Mauro would get a maximum of one year in prison, with the right to argue for less time at sentencing. Under the agreement, his sentence would be followed by three years of probation, with up to five years behind bars hanging over him if he were to violate conditions of probation.
At Monday’s hearing, the victim’s mother, Jean McAuliffe, spoke to Keegan and objected to the terms of the plea agreement.
“We feel our rights were violated, and we were not given an opportunity to voice our opinion,” she said. “We want the plea vacated. I believe if my daughter were driving that car, she would still be alive. It is so hard for us.”
The family indicated that they would like Mauro to serve longer than one year.
“Him getting a year is not OK,” the victim’s mother said.
Court personnel asserted they sent a letter and left a telephone message for the McAuliffe family.
However, the family indicated they never received any notification prior to Mauro entering his plea.
Keegan said there is no way for her to negate the plea.
“I’m sorry that you didn’t get notified,” Keegan told the victim’s parents. “There is no way for the court to undo this plea agreement.”
The judge invited the victim’s family to speak at the sentencing, which she scheduled for Dec. 9.
Branford police indicated after they lodged charges in October 2013 against Vincent Mauro that his blood alcohol level had been at 0.18 percent, well over the legal limit of 0.08 percent. ….MORE