Trooper Found Guilty On OUI Charge, Not Guilty Of Manslaughter In Fatal 2013 Crash

PLYMOUTH (CBS) – A suspended Massachusetts State Police trooper was found guilty of driving drunk in a 2013 crash that left a mother and daughter dead.

John Basler, 28, was found not guilty on the charges of vehicular homicide and manslaughter, but was found guilty of operating under the influence, gun violation, and reckless operation.

Basler admitted to having four beers at a party, then driving towards his house in Kingston. But in Plymouth, on a back road, he was hit by a car driven by 60-year-old Susan Macchi. She and her daughter Juliet died in the crash.

Basler's blood alcohol content was .19, twice the legal limit, but State Police experts testified that it was Macchi's car that crossed the center line by two to three feet, hitting the off-duty trooper.

Police said Macchi's car was traveling 60 miles per hour, and that Basler was going about 80 miles per hour in a 40 mile per hour zone.

Basler broke down on the stand Monday when recalling the September night that the crash happened.

He is expected back in court Wednesday for sentencing.