Man Pleads Guilty in Fatal Crash

0:00A 26-year-old Hartford man named Andrew Butler just pleaded guilty to two counts of first degree manslaughter in a deadly crash last year. This week in court, he took a deal for a 20-year sentence, suspended after nine years served, plus five years probation. His lawyer can push for as little as eight years behind bars. The wreck happened July 29, 2024, right around 1010 AM, at Maine and Florence Streets. Butler was flying down Maine in a Mercedes-Benz, slamming into a Toyota Corolla that was turning left. The impact killed the Corolla's driver and passenger on the spot. Those victims were 62-year-old Angel Santiago behind the wheel and 28-year-old Dolte Reyes riding shotgun, both from Hartford, Butler and two others in his car, got banged up, but nothing life-threatening. His lawyer says he's owning up to the recklessness with real remorse, no excuses. Digging into the black box data, cops clocked at Mercedes, pushing nearly 90 miles per hour in a 30-mile zone, with brakes hit just before.

1:02Impact. Turns out Butler had only a New York-Learners permit and was dodging a failure to appear Warren at the time. He's locked up now on a $750,000 bond, with sentencing set for June 24. Reckless driving charges get dropped under the deal, but this high-speed tragedy leaves a heavy mark on everyone involved. From your city, powered by AI, this is Hartford News Today. I'm Corey with The Story.