Woman charged with manslaughter free on bail

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Hillsborough County Superior Courthouse North. File Photo/Jeffrey Hastings

MANCHESTER, NH – A woman charged with negligent homicide and reckless manslaughter in the death of Michael Shattuck, her former fiance who died when she allegedly crashed her car head-on into another vehicle, is free on personal recognizance bail pending trial.

Judge Amy Messer, presiding in Hillsborough County Superior Court Northern District, said in an order issued Monday that the state did not meet its burden to show by clear and convincing evidence that Ailadi Abreau, 35, of Derry poses a danger to the public.

Abreau also is charged with two counts of reckless conduct – deadly weapon.

On March 23, 2023, Abreau is accused of driving 80 mph at rush hour into the intersection of the off-ramp of Interstate 293 North and Granite Street, colliding head-on with another car which, in turn, struck a third car.

Shattuck, 32, of Manchester, her passenger, died at the scene.  Abreau had to be extricated from her car before being taken to the Elliot Hospital for treatment of serious injuries.  At the time of last Wednesday’s bail hearing, in which Abreau asked to be released into the care of her brother, she was in a rehabilitation facility.

Assistant Hillsborough County Attorney Francis Coffey asked that Abreau be held without bail once she was “ambulatory.”   He said the state did not want to interfere with her medical treatment but that she should be detained because she was a flight risk and a danger to the public.

At the bail hearing, Coffey played a video, taken from a parked vehicle’s dashcam, of Abreau’s car about 5 p.m. on March 23, 2023, speeding down the off-ramp, into the intersection and hitting a car head-on.

Messer, in her order, said she reviewed the video evidence presented, as well as the medical information presented by the defendant.

“While there is no doubt that the motor vehicle crash resulting in the death of the victim is extremely serious, the Court does not find that the State has met its burden to show by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant poses a danger to the public in light of the defendant’s background and the conditions of bail that the court will impose,” Messer wrote. 

She said Abreau is 35 years old, has no prior criminal history, has a bachelor’s degree and has been working in the human services field for some time.

“At this time, she is unable to walk without assistance. Medical professionals report that her legs will be non-weight bearing for at least several months. She is unable to use the bathroom or transfer without assistance at this time. She has a stable place to live and will be engaged in significant rehabilitation therapies,” Messer wrote.

Additionally, Abreau is to participate in mental health services, leave her license with the Manchester Police Department and is prohibited from driving a motor vehicle.

She said the state did not show a basis to find Abreau a flight risk or that she would not abide by court orders.  As a result, she ordered Abreau released on personal recognizance bail.


 

 

 

About this Author

Pat Grossmith

Pat Grossmith is a freelance reporter.