On Feb. 5, 2015, Mohamed Alfageeh of Allston began serving his 18-month sentence for the deaths of Jessica L. Campbell and John J. Lanzillotti. The sentence came after he pleaded guilty to two charges of vehicular homicide in 2014.
Alfageeh was charged with two counts of motor vehicle homicide and one count of negligent operation of a motor vehicle after a crash on June 21, 2014 claimed the lives of both Campbell and Lanzilotti. He initially submitted an innocent plea but changed his plea in January of this year.
“Although the sentence may not fully meet the hopes of the victims’ loved ones, or seem fair to those who seek the defendant’s freedom,” wrote Judge Carol S. Ball, in a sentencing memo, “it is, in my view, the most appropriate and just result.”
According to a press release from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office in Aug. 2014, Alfageeh was driving westbound on Beacon St. when he drove through a red light, hitting another car in the intersection. The impact, reports say, caused Alfageeh’s Ford Explorer to spin and it skidded at an angle, striking Campbell, 27, and Lanzillotti, 28, where they stood together in the crosswalk. Reports say the Explorer hit two other parked cars before “coming to rest in an inverted position.” Lanzillotti was killed on scene. Campbell was rushed to the hospital but died from the injuries she sustained when hit.
With the help of an Arabic interpreter, Alfageeh pleaded innocent to all three charges. According to Judge Ball, Alfageeh did not have any previous driving offenses or criminal record. He also was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash and fully cooperated with the police. His bail was set at $10,000 in cash and he was ordered to surrender his passport for the duration of the case. According to the Suffolk Superior Court, his bail was paid on the same day.
During the pre-trial conference report, ADA Greg Henning met with Alfageeh’s attorney, John Seed. According to a report from that meeting, the case was deemed not likely to go to trial.
Alfageeh will serve his sentence at the Suffolk County House of Corrections. He will serve 18 months in the house of corrections and will have three years of probation after being released. The court dismissed the charge of negligent operation of a motor vehicle when he submitted his guilty plea.
