The driver in a fatal car crash that killed four of his fellow Maine Maritime Academy students has been sentenced to serve three years behind bars.
Joshua Goncalves-Radding, 21, of New York, pleaded guilty and was sentenced Friday on four counts of manslaughter and nine other charges related to the fiery crash that occurred in Castine in the early morning hours of Dec. 10, 2022.
In addition to spending three years in prison, Goncalves-Radding was sentenced by Justice Patrik Larson to pay more than $10,000 in fines and to serve three years of probation upon his release.
Goncalves-Radding was driving a friend’s car back to Castine after spending an evening out with friends in Bangor. Six other MMA students were in the car he was driving at more than 100 miles per hour on Route 166, causing the car to veer out of control, go airborne and smash into a tree.
Less than two hours after the crash, a blood sample taken from Goncalves-Radding indicated he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.16 percent, which is twice the 0.08 percent threshold considered to be drunken driving under Maine law.
The students who died were Brian Kenealy, 20, of York; Chase Fossett, 21, of Gardiner; Luke Simpson, 22, of Rockport, Massachusetts; and Riley Ignacio-Cameron, 20, of Aquinnah, Massachusetts.
Goncalves-Radding and two others who managed to escape the burning vehicle and survive — Noelle Tavares, 22, of North Falmouth, Massachusetts, and Dominick Gecoya, 22, of Middleton, Massachusetts — suffered serious injuries in the crash.
During Friday’s two-hour proceeding, about a dozen people sat on the right side of the courtroom behind the prosecutors’ table in support of the victims. Roughly the same number sat on the left side of the courtroom, behind Goncalves as he sat next to his attorney, Walter McKee.
Before being sentenced, Golcalves-Radding tearfully apologized to the families of his classmates, whom he said were his close friends. He and others sobbed often while he spoke.
“The night of Dec. 10 plays over and over in my head every day and every night,” said Goncalves-Radding, fighting through his tears. “For a long time, I wished that I had died with them, and at times I still feel that way.”
Chase Fossett’s parents also spoke to the judge, and acknowledged how close the group of students in the car were with each other. During one break in the proceedings, they went over to hug Goncalves-Radding and his supporters in an expression of shared grief.
“Chase loved everyone in that car that night. They were his best friends,” his father, Scott Fossett, said. “Josh, I forgive you.”
Goncalves-Radding pleaded guilty after reaching an agreement with Hancock County District Attorney Robert Granger that called for a maximum period of incarceration of seven years.
Goncalves-Radding’s defense attorney, Walter Mckee, said after the sentencing that he thought the term of three years incarceration was a fair sentence. He said his client was expected to serve his prison time at Maine Correctional Center in Windham.
In sentencing Goncalves-Radding, Justice Larson noted that the defendant was the designated driver for the evening but, by getting drunk and then driving recklessly, had violated his friends’ trust.
He said Goncalves-Radding, who was 20 years old at the time of the crash, had more than one fake ID that falsely indicated he was over the age of 21, and had been spotted several minutes before the crash speeding through Orland village. Those factors suggest that the fatal crash was not just the result of a fleeting moment of poor judgment by Goncalves-Radding, he said.
But Larson also noted that Goncalves-Radding had no criminal record and has taken full responsibility for his actions.
“You clearly have accepted responsibility. You clearly feel remorse,” the judge said. “You have a large hurdle you will have to overcome.”
