Man, Woman Charged In Crash That Killed 2 Needham Teens Released On Personal Recognizance

DEDHAM (CBS) -- A Needham man and a Wellesley woman appeared in Norfolk Superior Court Wednesday to be arraigned on charges connected with a crash that killed two teenagers in February. Sixty-five-year-old Robert Berry and 52-year-old Dania Antoine-Guiteau both pleaded not guilty to all charges and were released on personal recognizance.

They were also ordered not to drive.

Berry was charged with negligent motor vehicle homicide and two counts of aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Guiteau was charged with manslaughter and negligent motor vehicle homicide.

The Feb. 10 crash killed Needham High School students Talia Newfield, 16, and Adrienne Garrido, 17. They were walking on Webster Street when they were struck, not far from their high school.

Prosecutors said Berry and Antoine-Guiteau were driving the cars that hit and killed the girls while they were in the crosswalk.

According to court documents, Berry initially struck the girl with car and Antoine-Guiteau, who was approaching them from behind, went to the left of Berry's car and ran over of the girls.

Both drivers stopped at the scene.

Berry told police that he had not seen the girls before the crash, which occurred around 5 p.m., and Antione-Guiteau initially said she thought it was a "plastic bag of trash" in the road.

Outside court Wednesday, a man from Antione-Guiteau's church spoke on her behalf. "She's a Christian. She's a mother. A single mother of two...That was an accident."

Berry spoke to the media himself. "Everyday, I pray for all those affected by this tragic accident," he said.