[Watch LawNewz Network coverage of the trial in the player above, with in-studio analysis. For a direct feed of this trial, see the player at the bottom of this article]
The trial of Joshua Gaspar continues on Friday in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Gaspar is charged with aggravated vehicular homicide for allegedly striking and killing Ohio State Trooper Kenneth Velez on September 15, 2016, while driving under the influence. Testimony is expected to resume at 9:00 am ET. Watch live in the player above.
Gaspar is not accused of being drunk, rather the DUI charge stems from him having methadone in his system due to treatment he had just minutes for the accident. Watch live in the player above. Gaspar is facing special upgraded charges due to the alleged homicide of an officer.
In addition to charges related to driving under the influence (which includes one count of aggravated vehicular homicide), Gaspar is also facing additional homicide charges for allegedly driving recklessly. Immediately prior to the accident, Gaspar was allegedly driving 78 mph on a road with a speed limit of 60 mph, and he had to swerve when the car in front of him stopped short. Gaspar is also charged with driving with a suspended license.
Sgt. Joseph Costarella testified on Friday. Costarella is a plain-clothed investigator who was part of a team that collected evidence from the scene of the crash. Also testifying was Trooper Brian Beal with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, who responded to the crash and took evidentiary photographs of the scene. Other officers took additional photos for purposes of crash reconstruction, Beal said. During Beal’s testimony, the court viewed photos that showed the damage to Gaspar’s car, which Beal said showed the impact the vehicle had with Trooper Velez.
Stay with LawNewz.com and the LawNewz Network for continuing coverage of the trial.
[Image via Cleveland City Jail]
