North Haven man charged in wife’s death

NORTH HAVEN — A man who police accused of striking his wife with his car, resulting in her death, has been given reduced charges and avoided serving any time in prison.

Francesca Suppa, 66, of Scrub Oak Road, had been charged with seconddegree manslaughter after his wife, Antonietta Suppa, died of her injuries on May 11, 2018. The day before that, when police responded to the home after hearing a report of a woman being struck by a vehicle, they found her lying in the driveway.

According to police, Suppa struck his wife when he put the car in reverse, then dragged her and drove forward. Police initially charged him with firstdegree assault.

Last month Suppa pleaded nolo contendere to reduced charges of negligent homicide with a motor vehicle and firstdegree reckless endangerment. Meriden Superior Court Judge Gerald Harmon imposed a sentence of six months for negligent homicide and 12 months for reckless endangerment, but suspended both of them. Suppa now faces one year of probation.

Suppa’s attorney, John R. Donovan, said outside of court that the event was “completely accidental” and that Suppa should not have been charged with seconddegree manslaughter.

“North Haven police made an onsite arrest without doing an investigation,” Donovan said. “They made a rush to judgement that proved to be so problematic that the charges were reduced to what they should have been in the first place.”

“The police made a decision that was hasty, not supported by the facts and not supported by the eventual disposition of the case,” Donovan added.

North Haven Deputy Chief of Police Kevin Glenn said the department has no comment on Donovan’s statement.

Police had said that while they investigated the case they learned Suppa and his wife had been involved in a dispute prior to the event in the driveway.

However, Donovan said: “Arguably there was negligence when he backed out of the driveway. But there was no intent. He had no knowledge his wife was behind the vehicle. His actions and the evidence amount to nothing more than a charge of negligent homicide.”

Donovan said Suppa spoke briefly during the sentencing hearing. “He said how much he misses his wife and how sorry he was that this accident happened.”

The prosecutor in the case, Assistant State’s Attorney Charles Johnson, declined to offer a comment.

randall.beach@hearstmediact.com