Crime

Suspended State Police sgt. pleads not guilty in deadly Woburn crash

Prosecutors say Sgt. Scott Quigley drunkenly crashed his cruiser into a van in 2023, mortally wounding a man who had developmental disabilities and used a wheelchair.

Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Scott Quigley is arraigned at Middlesex Superior Court. Mark Stockwell/Boston Herald, Pool

By Abby Patkin

April 15, 2026 | 5:28 PM

2 minutes to read

A suspended Massachusetts State Police sergeant pleaded not guilty to motor vehicle homicide Wednesday after he was accused of drunkenly crashing his cruiser and killing a man in Woburn in 2023.

Previously:

Sgt. Scott Quigley was indicted last month after initially facing only a ticket in the Dec. 12, 2023, crash that killed 37-year-old Angelo Schettino. Details about the incident emerged earlier this year after concerns about Quigley’s past indefinitely delayed a Lowell murder trial in which he had served as lead investigator.

Prosecutors previously alleged Quigley was driving negligently and under the influence when his unmarked cruiser crossed into oncoming traffic and struck a van that was carrying Schettino back to his group home in Lynn. Schettino, who had developmental disabilities and used a wheelchair, died of his injuries a month after the crash.

Quigley and the van driver were also injured in the crash.

The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office later released the results of an independent investigation that found State Police failed to officially notify prosecutors of Quigley’s alleged drunk driving. Further, the probe found State Police reports omitted key information regarding the severity of the alleged victims’ injuries, while documents from the Disabled Persons Protection Commission offered murky details on Schettino’s cause of death.

Appearing in Middlesex Superior Court Wednesday, Quigley pleaded not guilty and was released on personal recognizance. His attorney, Christina Pujals Ronan, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, however, Ronan was adamant: “This was a tragic accident, but this accident was not a crime.” She also denied allegations of organized attempts to obscure Quigley’s conduct or purported blood alcohol level, per video from MassLive.

“You can scream ‘coverup’ louder and louder, but it doesn’t make it true,” Ronan said. “This was not a coverup.”

For nearly two years, she added, Quigley believed the crash had caused only minor injuries. According to Ronan, he first learned that Schettino died after hearing that the man’s family had filed a civil lawsuit. The complaint does not currently name Quigley as a defendant.

Quigley remains suspended without pay, she said.

The sergeant “has spent his life serving this commonwealth — 17 years on the job — and also his country; he is a combat veteran who did a tour in Afghanistan,” Ronan noted. “He is not guilty of any crime, and we expect … the truth will come out at trial.”