A Marshfield man who was drunk when he ran a red light and crashed into an SUV, killing a 13-year-old Plymouth girl and severely injuring two others will serve a minimum of 28 years in state prison, a judge ruled Thursday.
Gregory Goodsell, 36, was found guilty last week on all counts related to the December 2019 Pembroke crash that took the life of Claire Zisserson, including second degree murder, manslaughter, and operating under the influence causing serious bodily injury.
Plymouth County prosecutors had requested a much longer sentence — 43 years minimum — which would have likely kept Goodsell in prison for most of his life.
His lawyers recommended less prison time — 15 years to life — citing Goodsell’s difficult upbringing and his extreme remorse.
Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz said he hopes the sentencing will help “the two families who have had their lives torn apart by this horrific crash heal a bit and feel some sense of closure.”
“Every decision comes with a consequence,” he said, “and if Gregory Goodsell had made several different choices that fateful night, Claire would still be with us today.”
In imposing the sentence, Plymouth Superior Court judge Diane Freniere told Goodsell his criminal conduct “caused such a tragic result — the loss of an innocent young woman.”
Claire was a “remarkable bright light, a 13-year-old girl beloved by her family, a compassionate and kind friend, who was taken by your criminal conduct,” the judge said.
Freniere cited victim impact statements submitted to the court, which “portray the enormous grief, sense of loss and some anger that resulted from Claire’s tragic death.”
She “brought tremendous joy, laughter and compassion to her family and really to all the people she came in contact with in her short life,” Freniere said.
The judge also cited the “life altering’’ injuries suffered by her mother, Elizabeth Zisserson – who was driving at the time of the accident – and her best friend, Kendall Zemotel. They were on their way to go snowboarding to celebrate Claire’s 14th birthday when the accident occurred.
The two girls were students at the Rising Tide Charter School in Plymouth.
Zemotel, who was 12 at the time, testified during the trial that she didn’t awaken from the crash until Valentine’s Day 2020 — more than six weeks later.
In court, she ticked off a long list of injuries and physical problems— from her head to her feet, including broken bones, headaches and vision problems. She said she has “trouble with word retrieval” and suffers from balance issues and nerve damage. One arm is weaker than the other, she said.
She has undergone physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.
Goodsell had been drinking all night and using cocaine on Dec. 28, the night before the early morning crash, prosecutors said. The drinking started before a Christmas party hosted by his employer, Rockland-based Hi-Way Safety Systems, at the Pembroke Knights of Columbus.
He continued to drink at an afterparty held at the Pembroke home of the company’s owner, according to assistant district attorney Russell Eonas.
Other partygoers urged Goodsell not to drive, but early in the morning of Dec. 29, he got into his company truck anyway, striking a tree as he drove off, prosecutors charged.
He allegedly sped away — at one point going as fast as 95 mph — before running the red light at the intersection of Oak Street and Church Street (Route 139) at 6:50 a.m.
He plowed into the Suburu Outback, which was attempting to make a left turn at the intersection. At the point of impact, prosecutors said, Goodsell was going 67 mph. His blood alcohol level tested by state police was .266 — more than three times the legal limit.
Before sentencing, Goodsell’s lawyers submitted a memorandum that laid out the circumstances of what they said was his difficult life and troubled upbringing.
He was born into a family of substance abusers. His mother was an alcoholic; his father violent and destructive, his lawyers, Tina Green and Kenneth van Colen, wrote.
After graduating from Marshfield High School in 2006, he studied to become an EMT. He joined the Pembroke Fire Department as an on-call firefighter before going to work for Hi-Way Safety Systems doing highway construction work.
That job, his lawyers said, was his undoing — the worst possible place for him because he was “surrounded by drugs and alcohol.”
He has a five-year-old daughter, who keeps him going every day, they said.
At first, he didn’t realize what he’d done, his lawyers said. When he finally understood, he was “devastated for the families and always will be.”
When he sees the victims’ families in the courtroom, his lawyers said, “he wants to hug them and tell them how deeply sorry I am.”
Elizabeth Zisserson and her husband Kenneth have pending civil suits against Goodsell and Hi-Way Safety Systems.
Andrea Estes can be reached at andrea@plymouthindependent.org.