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Dylan Etheridge was sentenced to six to 10 years in prison for operating under the influence ending in manslaughter, and three years of probation when he is released, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said. He also received two-and-a-half years behind bars for driving under the influence leading to serious bodily injury and leaving the scene of an accident, but he will serve that time concurrently.
A jury found Etheridge guilty in December in the May 5, 2019 crash.
Prosecutors said Etheridge was speeding down Bennington Street between 80 and 90 miles per hour just after 1 a.m. when he crashed into several parked cars, flipped his Mazda, and slammed into a concrete barrier. Instead of helping his two female passengers, Etheridge climbed out of the wreckage and ran away, authorities said.
Amber Pelletier, age 20, of Central Falls, Rhode Island, died in the crash. Ava Salvi was also in the car and was seriously injured. She identified Etheridge to investigators as the driver. Blood on the steering wheel also matched the then 22-year-old.
Etheridge checked himself into Massachusetts General Hospital about eight hours after the crash, where detectives questioned him, officials said.
Pelletier was a rising senior at St. Leo University in Florida, according to her obituary, and was a talented dancer and cheerleader.
A GoFundMe for Ava Salvi said she suffered a brain injury, a fractured back and skull, and lost hearing in one ear in the crash. The fundraiser said her medical bills topped $100,000.
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