Wellesley Woman Pleads Not Guilty In Fatal Needham Crash

DEDHAM, MA — The two people charged in the February deaths of two Needham High School students were arraigned in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham Tuesday.

Robert Berry, 65, of Needham, pleaded not guilty to negligent motor vehicle homicide and two counts of aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Dania Antoine-Guiteau, 52, of Wellesley, pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and negligent motor vehicle homicide. They were released on personal recognizance and ordered to stay away from the victims' families and not to drive.

Antoine-Guiteau had no comment following the arraignment and Berry said he is praying for the families of those involved in the crash.

The Feb. 10 crash claimed the lives of 16-year-old Talia Newfield and 17-year-old Adrienne Garrido. A police investigation indicates that the two were crossing Webster Street inside a fully marked crosswalk near Needham High School when Berry struck Garrido and projected her 64 feet away from where she was hit. Antoine-Guiteau then attempted to drive around Berry's vehicle and struck Newfield. She told officers that she mistook the teenager for a bag of trash.

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• Obituaries: Talia Newfield And Adrienne Garrido
• Two Indicted In Crash That Killed Two Needham Teens

Witnesses near the scene immediately identified Berry's Cadillac and Antoine-Guiteau's Nissan as the vehicles involved in the crash. Witnesses in a car behind Antoine-Guiteau vehicle told police that when she approached the Cadillac, she slowed her vehicle down and veered left and over Newfield's body.

Berry told police that he didn't see wither girl before hitting them and observed Antoine-Guiteau's vehicle come down the street and over Newfield. He said the girls were not in the crosswalk and suggested that they were either running or walking fast across the street.

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While speaking with police, Antoine-Guiteau said she didn't see anyone in the roadway prior to the crash. While she said that she didn't need to wear glasses to drive, her license has a "B" restriction that requires her to wear corrective lenses while driving.

Police believe that Berry was traveling at least 38 mph. The speed limit of Webster Street is 30 mph.

Berry and Antoine-Guiteau are due back in court for a pretrial conference Dec 11 and a pretrial hearing Feb. 12.

Image Credit: Dan Libon/Patch