Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson announces that this morning a Somerset County Jury found Amie Marroccelli, 44, of Union Township, guilty of 2nd-degree vehicular homicide.
Authorities said this represents the second time a jury has convicted the defendant of this crime, as defendant previously was tried and convicted of this offense on March 17th.
After defendant’s conviction in 2014, the Honorable Robert B. Reed, J.S.C., sentenced Amie Marroccelli to seven years in New Jersey State Prison with 85% to be served without parole. However, in 2014 Judge Reed granted defendant Amie Marroccelli bail pending appeal.
The Appellate Division subsequently reversed defendant’s 2014 conviction and remanded the case for a new trial, citing Judge Reed’s failure to permit Ms. Marroccelli the opportunity to introduce a note at trial, wherein the note, purportedly written by her husband, claimed that Amie Marroccelli was not driving the car at the time of the vehicular crash and that her husband was the driver.
The vehicular homicide was the result of a motor vehicle crash that occurred on October 10, 2010, at approximately 7:56 p.m. on Interstate 78 in Warren Township.
Authorities said during the investigation; it was discovered that defendant Marroccelli was driving eastbound in the left lane on Interstate 78.
Steven Wall, age 22, of Annandale, New Jersey was also traveling eastbound in the center lane. Marroccelli struck Steven Wall’s vehicle in the center lane when she abruptly changed lanes from the left to the center. As a result of the impact, Mr. Wall’s vehicle was forced off the highway to the right, where it collided with trees. Steven Wall died as a result of injuries he sustained in the crash.
A laboratory analysis revealed that defendant Marrocceli’s blood alcohol content was .087% approximately three hours after the collision; this blood alcohol level alone creates the per se offense of Driving While Intoxicated.
An expert for the State testified that at the time of the crash, the presence of ethyl alcohol in Amie Marroccelli’s blood would have been .14%. At the time of her re-trial in 2017, defendant introduced a note wherein her husband purportedly claimed responsibility for driving.
After the verdict, Judge Reed revoked the defendant’s bail and remanded her to the Somerset County Jail pending sentencing on December 8th.
The State was represented by Chief Somerset County Assistant Prosecutor Merrill M. Mezzacappa and Somerset County Assistant Prosecutor William A. Guhl, with the assistance of Paralegal Supervisor Amy VanderGoot.