TEXTING DRIVER GETS 1 YEAR FOR MYSTIC CRASH THAT KILLED NORWICH WOMAN

A Mystic teen who admitted he was texting on his phone when he crashed his SUV into an oncoming car, killing a 52-year-old health care worker from Norwich, will serve one year in prison.

Ryan J. Brown, 21, of Mystic, was sentenced Tuesday in New London Superior Court to one year in prison and five years of probation in connection with the April 22, 2021, crash in Mystic that claimed the life of Michelle L. McMullen of Norwich.

The sentence was the result of a plea agreement between Brown and state prosecutors. Brown pleaded guilty in May to the charge of second-degree manslaughter, court records show. He faced between one and 10 years in prison.

In addition to the prison term , Brown was ordered to write a letter of apology to the victim’s family and make a charitable donation of $500 per year over five years.

Police records show Brown, when he was 19, was driving a Jeep Cherokee east on Coogan Boulevard at 12:30 p.m. on April 22, 2021, when he crossed the double yellow line and struck the front end of McMullen’s car. McMullen was a medical assistant at the Hartford HealthCare facility on nearby Jerry Browne Road and had just left work. She was taken to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Brown, police said, admitted he was texting and driving and repeatedly stated “It’s all my fault,” and “Oh my God, I (expletive) up.”

Police said the officer at the scene of the crash detected a strong smell of marijuana coming from Brown and his vehicle and discovered drug paraphernalia and partially burned marijuana cigarette’s in Brown’s vehicle. Blood samples taken at the hospital also revealed THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana that produces a high, in Brown’s system, police said.

A toxicology report later showed Brown’s level of THC was at a level some states say causes impairment and which they have incorporated into their driving under the influence laws. Connecticut has not adopted an impairment level.

The affidavit for Brown’s warrant also stated that data extracted from Brown's cellphone supported the conclusion he was using his phone at or about the time of the collision.

Court records show Brown was represented in the court by the Hartford-based law firm of Santos & LaLima.