Aug 27, 2008 11:28 am US/Eastern
Plea Deal For Teen In Death Of Wrestling Teammate
BOLTON (WBZ) ―
A teen driver charged with running over his high school wrestling teammate and killing him during a friendly race in Bolton has agreed to a plea deal.
David Hayden, 18, who had faced
motor vehicle homicide charges, pleaded to sufficient facts for a guilty finding on the lesser charge of driving negligently. He appeared in Clinton District Court on Tuesday.
Hayden's sentence includes four years unsupervised probation, community service and two years loss of driver's license.
Authorities say Hayden and two other Nashoba Regional High School teammates were
racing Frank DeMeo, 19, as he tried to shed weight before a match, and gave him a head start on foot.
The car caught up, and they veered around each other before DeMeo jumped on the hood, with his feet hanging under the car. Authorities say Hayden sped up, then braked, and DeMeo fell off and was run over.
DeMeo's father, Anthony DeMeo, has said the way his son died was "senseless" and a case of fooling around going too far. But he said he forgives Hayden.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
