Farmington Teen Charged In 2024 Motorcyclist Death: FPD

FARMINGTON, CT — A female high school student has been accused of looking at her Mercedes' dashboard entertainment screen before hitting a motorcyclist last summer.

The rider, a 31-year-old Meriden man, died a month later, leading to the teen being charged last week.

According to the Farmington Police Department, Anngelina Gisela Morton, 18, of Main Street, Farmington, was charged last Thursday, March 6, with failure to drive on the right; traveling unreasonably fast, reckless driving; second-degree manslaughter; two counts of second-degree assault; and distracted driving.

According to online court records, Morton has been released on a $275,000 bond and will appear in Hartford Superior Court for the pre-trial phase on May 7.

She was arraigned in court Wednesday, March 12.

On Aug. 20, 2024, authorities said Morton was behind the wheel of her Mercedes, which crossed the center line on Route 10 (Waterville Road).

Her car then collided with a motorcycle operated by 31-year-old Justin Gittings, a resident of Meriden. Another motorcycle was also involved in the accident, with two others hurt.

Gittings was rushed via Lifestar helicopter to Hartford Hospital in critical condition, but he died more than a month after the accident on Sept. 23, 2024.

Farmington police said in a release issued Thursday morning that Gatling suffered injuries to his lower body and head.

Police said he remained in critical condition until his death.

According to WFSB Channel 3, Morton appeared in court and her attorney claimed the crash was accidental, though family/friends of Gittings called it reckless.

WFSB reports that Farmington police said Morton was looking at her Mercedes' infotainment center, which is a dashboard feature in many vehicles.

Police said the charges against Morton followed a "lengthy investigation."

"The North Central Regional Accident Reconstruction Squad completed their analysis and determined the cause of the accident," wrote the FPD Thursday.

"As a result of this investigation, an arrest warrant was issued for the driver of the motor vehicle involved in the crash, Anngelina Morton."

An accomplished equestrian, Morton was headed to Auburn University in Alabama next year to be a part of that school's equestrian team, where she was slated to compete in jumping competitions.

Auburn has one of the best equestrian programs in the nation and Morton was expected to join the team next year.

The university profiled Morton when her commitment to Auburn was announced. It can be seen at this link, though it appears the profile has been taken down off social media.

According to the Auburn University profile of Morton, she was a student at the Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, a private school for girls that has an equestrian program.

It appears, however, that Ethel Walker had taken down any mentions of Morton on its equestrian team and school websites.

In addition to equestrian, Morton played softball at Ethel Walker.

For the full WFSB Channel 3 report, click on this link.

From Aug. 20, 2024: '1 Badly Hurt In Farmington Crash With Vehicle, 2 Motorcycles: UPDATE'