
CHESTER, N.Y. – A man from Akwesasne who tried to outrun New York State Police and killed another motorist in the process has been sentenced to 15 years in a state prison.
Skyler Crouse, 32, pleaded guilty this month to manslaughter in the 2019 death of 38-year-old Joseph Turcotte of Brant Lake, N.Y., according to WNYT-TV.
Crouse chose to plead guilty to manslaughter, avoiding a trial on a number of charges including murder that was to start Jan. 10, 2022.
The chase started on Sept. 26, 2019 after a police officer clocked Crouse’s Ontario-registered pickup truck going 90 miles per hour (144 kilometers per hour) through a construction zone.
The pursuit lasted about 25 miles (40 kilometers) in the northbound lanes of the Adirondack Northway (I-87) before Crouse’s pickup truck smashed into the back of another pickup on an exit ramp, killing Turcotte.
The victim was a beloved member of the community – a company partner for a custom boat builder and was also a master craftsman, WTEN News 10 Albany reported.
State police say Crouse’s pickup was travelling over 100 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour) just before the crash.