Sentence For Impaired NJ Driver Who Killed 2 Women

GOSHEN, NY — A New Jersey man who pleaded guilty in December to aggravated vehicular homicide received his sentence Thursday in Orange County Court. District Attorney David M. Hoovler said Christopher Perrella, 32, of Vernon, New Jersey, was sentenced to five to 15 years in state prison.

He admitted his responsibility in the deaths of two women who were passengers in a car he was driving Nov. 4, 2017.

The district attorney's office had recommended a sentence of six to 18 years.

At the time of the collision, Perrella was driving a car that contained a male friend, the friend's fiancée and Perrella's girlfriend.

The two couples had been visiting a possible wedding venue in the Town of Warwick.

Emily Carwile, 36, of Vernon, New Jersey, and Jessica Dussault, 30, of Hopatcong, New Jersey, were killed when the car crashed into a house on Glenwood Road in Warwick.

Perrella, who was pinned in the car and taken to the hospital for treatment of his injuries, was also charged with driving while his ability to operate a car was impaired by both alcohol and marijuana.

Hoovler said that cases involving fatalities caused by impaired drivers demand severe state prison sentences.

"What should have been a trip planning one of the most joyous events in life turned into a tragedy because of this defendant's decision to drive while intoxicated," he said.

"Fatalities like this are tragic as they are preventable," Hoovler said. "I hope that this resolution brings some measure of closure to the families of both of the deceased women."

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Photo caption: Christopher Perrella. Photo credit: Orange County District Attorney's Office.