Man Who Killed Hartford Cop In 2023 Crash Sent To Prison: Reports

HARTFORD, CT — The young motorist high on pot who killed a Hartford police officer in a brutal 2023 crash will spend several years behind bars.

According to WFSB Channel 3, Richard O. Barrington — who pled guilty to interfering with an officer, manslaughter, and first-degree assault in April — was sentenced in Hartford Superior Court Friday to 30 years in prison.

Fox 61 reported that while Barrington's sentence is 30 years, it will be suspended after 16 years served, along with probation.

In addition, Barrington must make a $50 annual donation to the Sea Cadets, a charity Garten was known to support, Fox 61 reported. Sea Cadets is a youth development program of the U.S. Navy.

Barrington was 18 at the time of the crash, which happened Sept. 6, 2023.

Reportedly high on marijuana that night, Harrington's vehicle slammed into a Hartford Police Department cruiser that was in pursuit of a separate violation.

That crash claimed the life of Hartford Police Det. Bobby Garten (a promotion that was granted posthumously) and badly injured his partner, HPD Officer Brian Kearney.

Barrington, police said, was fleeing two other HPD officers after an attempted traffic stop in a separate incident.

Garten's death stunned the city and state law enforcement communities and it was Hartford's first line-of-duty police death since the mid-1990s.

Both WFSB Channel 3 and Fox 61 reported that while the prosecution sought a 20-year sentence, friends and family of Garten wanted 40 years.

For the full WFSB Channel 3 report, click on this link.

For the full Fox 61 report, click on this link.

From Sept. 7, 2023: 'Fallen Hartford Officer Wanted To Be Like His Dad: UPDATE'

From Sept. 21, 2023: 'More Charges For Teen Involved In Fatal Crash That Killed Hartford Cop'