Driver Charged In State Trooper Thomas Clardy's Death Suddenly Apologizes During Outburst In Court
WORCESTER (CBS) – The man charged in the death of Massachusetts State Trooper Thomas Clardy had to be removed from court Tuesday after he suddenly spoke out loud, apologized and then ignored the judge's order to stop talking.
Closing arguments were about to begin in Worcester Superior Court when 33-year-old David Njuguna of Webster said "There's no need to go any further... I'm very sorry for what happened."
"I wanted to apologize to Mrs. Clardy, the trooper's wife. (Njuguna's attorney) Mr. Ettenberg told me to wait and I'm very sorry for what happened your honor. I've been wanting to say that for awhile," Njugnua said.
Clardy's widow Reisa, was in the courtroom during the outburst.
Judge Janet Kenton-Walker told Njuguna she would not accept his statement because he wasn't under oath. She then told him to take a moment and meet privately with his attorney, Peter Ettenberg.
Instead, Njuguna kept apologizing repeatedly and said: "I thought that I could trust the system."
"I'm really sorry, it was an accident," Njugnua said. "I just wanted you to know that I'm very sorry."
The judge ordered him to sit down, but he refused, so she had him removed from the courtroom because he was out of order.
"Why are you people lying about everything? Oh my God, why are you lying?," Njuguna said as he was escorted out by two court officers.
Prosecutors say Njuguna was speeding when he crashed into the back of Clardy's parked cruiser on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Charlton on March 16, 2016.
They claim Njuguna was high on marijuana at the time of the crash.
Njuguna bought marijuana from a medical marijuana dispensary roughly an hour before the incident, but his defense team claims he crashed because he experienced a seizure, not because of marijuana use.
Njuguna waived his right to a jury so Judge Kenton-Walker will decide his fate after the 7-day trial.
During closing arguments on Tuesday afternoon, Njuguna's lawyer said a seizure cannot be ruled out as the cause of the crash.
"The commonwealth wants you to believe that David Njuguna smoked marijuana that day," Ettenberg said. "They can't prove it at all."
Prosecutor Jeffrey Travers countered that a reasonable inference can be made that the defendant smoked a burnt marijuana joint that was found on the floor of his car on the day of the crash.
"This is a tragedy your honor, but it was not an accident," he said. "He was impaired by THC combined with a lack of sleep.
Clardy was 44 years old and an 11-year veteran of State Police. He left behind his wife and seven children.