Crime & Safety
Peabody Man Faces Added Charge of Manslaughter in Fatal Car Crash
Thirty-seven-year-old man also faces motor vehicle homicide, second offense of drunken driving and leaving the scene of a fatal accident.
A Peabody man facing vehicular homicide, drunken driving and other charges for a fatal car crash on Walnut Street in May is now being charged with manslaughter as well. Daniel Walker, 31, of Peabody, died in the crash.
The Salem News reports that Matthew Fowler, 37, of Peabody, was arraigned on the above charges in Salem Superior Court on Monday -- he pleaded not guilty as he did in Peabody District Court in May -- and a judge agreed with the defense's request to reduce Fowler's bail from $50,000 to $5,000 because he's not considered a flight risk.
The paper also reports that prosecutors say Fowler's blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit the night of the accident (May 24) when the Hyundai sedan he was driving plowed into the back of an illegally parked flatbed tow truck on Walnut Street around 12:30 a.m.
Walker, a passenger in the sedan, was killed instantly, while police say Fowler, covered in blood, climbed out of the vehicle and ran down Tracey Street past more than 40 homes and a fire station before officers caught up to him on Fulton Street.
Fowler is now charged with manslaughter, motor vehicle homicide, OUI (second offense) and leaving the scene of a fatal accident.
You can read more on the latest details in the case from the Salem News here.
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