Newington man found guilty of 10 charges in fatal crash

2 victims traveled to state to attend funeral in 2017

A Newington man has been found guilty in a crash on Route 6 in Farmington in 2017 that killed two people who were visiting the state to attend a funeral.

Edward Brozynski, 60, was found guilty by a jury in Hartford Superior Court on two counts each of first-degree manslaughter, first-degree assault, second-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault and operating under the influence, officials from the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice said Friday.

The charges stem from a crash on Sept. 14, 2017, that killed Benoit Boislard and Rejean St. Pierre, both 66, who traveled from Quebec, Canada, for a funeral in Bristol and were heading to their hotel when Brozynski, driving an unregistered and uninsured Honda Accord, crossed the yellow center lines and struck their Mazda3, according to judicial officials. Two others in the Mazda were injured.

According to the warrant for his arrest, Brozynski had a blood alcohol content of 0.17 as well as Ambien, an anti-anxiety drug called meprobamate and oxycodone in his system during the crash.

The arrest warrant affidavit also said multiple witnesses told police Brozynski was driving excessively fast, passing them, crossing into the oncoming lane and driving dangerously prior to the crash.

According to Courant archives, Brozynski in 2018 turned down a plea deal that would have sent him to prison for 12 years. He is being held on a $225,000 bond and is expected to be sentenced on Aug. 24.

“We would like to thank the jury for its careful consideration of all the evidence that was presented at trial,” Hartford State’s Attorney Sharmese L. Walcott said in a statement. “Assistant State’s Attorney Samantha Magnani was steadfast in her resolve to bring this case to a close for the surviving victims who have waited for justice.”