Drunk Driver Faces Charges In 2 Deaths

Waterford (WTNH) - A crash involving an accused drunk driver leaves two young people dead. As the driver appeared in court, the families of the victims spoke of their pain.

Security and emotions were high as 27-year-old Joseph Donohue was brought into court. He's accused of driving his Dodge Dakota pick up drunk early Sunday morning when it collided with a blue Scion on Route 32 in Waterford. Salem Musician, 23-year-old Joshua Lecce and Waterford mother, 21-year-old Danielle Nicholson, were killed.

"He didn't look like he was hurting at all," Caroline Goudenzi, cousin of a victim, said. "He could have looked at us and said sorry or something and that's what hurts."

Anguish and anger were amplified when relatives of Nicholson, who wore red ribbons in honor of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, learned Donohue has a prior DUI conviction.

"She was a wonderful girl. A good mother; the best," said Nicholson's grandmother. "Now this baby has no mother."

"He's not realizing what's going on right now but I'm sure he's walking around saying mommy, mommy," said Gaudenzi of Nicholson's child.

A police report indicates Donohue had an alcohol level more than two times the legal limit and after the accident he threatened to kill himself if the girl died.

The officer said, "When I asked Donohue how much he had to drink, he responded, 'It doesn't (expletive) matter. I killed that girl.'" He's now on a suicide watch. His family left escorted by court officers and expressed their devastation through his attorney.

"Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of Joshua and Danielle. Words cannot express our sorrow over their loss in this tragic incident," said Ron Steven's, Donohue's attorney.

Emotions were not only running high among family members but court personnel seemed to be affected as well.

The normal pleasantries often exchanged fell silent today.

"No one felt like smiling because there's nothing to smile about," said Donohue.

At this point, Donohue faces a single DUI charge but his $500,000 bond reflects the two manslaughter charges which are expected to be filed after the investigation is complete.

Salem Musician One of 2 Dead in Waterford Crash

Two people, including the young drummer of a local band, died Sunday in a two-car accident in Waterford near the Montville line, and a Norwich man was arrested on drunken driving charges in connection with the crash, police said.

Joshua A. Lecce, 23, of 521 Colchester Road, Salem, drummer in the band Gone for Good, and Danielle M. Nicholson, 21, of 16 Soldier Drive, Waterford, a passenger in his car, died in the accident early Sunday.

Two other passengers in the car, Brian Hahnel, 22, of 24 Broadview Ave., Uncasville, and Amadeus Harris, 22, of 37 Richards Grove Road, Quaker Hill, were injured in the crash and treated at The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich.

Joseph Donohue, 27, of 14 Orchard St., Norwich, the driver of a 2001 Dodge Dakota pickup, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

He was treated for injuries at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in New London, and remained in police custody Sunday on $500,000 cash bond, pending an arraignment in New London Superior Court, police said.

Police said the accident happened at about 1:40 a.m. at the intersection of Route 32 and Old Norwich Road near the Montville-Waterford line, and involved the Dodge and a 2005 Scion driven by Lecce.

Lecce played in the rock band Gone for Good, which released a demo, or short collection of songs, called “The Drawing Board” in October.

“He was extremely musically talented, humorous, funny and well-loved by many of us,” said Lecce’s sister, Stacy Haynes. “He was a wonderful person. Kind-hearted and extremely musically talented. Always made you laugh. Always had a good comeback.”

Lecce worked at the Guitar Center in New London, taught private lessons in drums and guitar, and was self-taught. Gone for Good recorded in New London with Andy Stackpole and planned a tour across the Northeast in early winter. The group played in February at The Oasis Pub in New London and The Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, Mass.

The band plans to release a CD in Lecce’s memory.

The CD, tentatively called “The Bright Lights” is being mastered in New York and was expected to be released in a month.

“Obviously, with these circumstances, I think we’re going to get together and discuss how we want to present it,” said Sean Murray, manager of the band. “We’re going to present it in his honor now.”

“The band themselves, the guys are reeling pretty hard from it.”

Earlier this week, Murray said he played the first fully mastered song for Lecce. “It sounded really great, and he was thrilled about it,” Murray said. “It’s sort of extra tragic that this CD that he was so excited about he didn’t get to hear.”

Murray said Lecce was the social outlet for band members; they broke into the New London music scene about a year ago, and Lecce made a point of shaking everyone’s hand and trying to get to know as many people from other bands and the audience as possible, Murray said.

“As tragic as it is, it’s really great to see so many people in the music (scene) here mourning, truly mourning his loss,” Murray said. “That just means that he had a greater impact on a lot of people than we knew. A lot of people are really upset about it.”

Murray said Lecce was at Oasis Saturday night to hear some local bands play and was driving some friends home when the accident happened.

A press release by the Waterford Police Department provided no further details about the accident, but said it was under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Waterford police at (860) 442-9451.

R.I.P. Joshua Lecce

My friend Patrick plays trumpet for this band.. They lost their drummer last week due to an accident caused by a drunk driver.

R.I.P., Josh.

[Above: Josh Lecce (left) with his bandmates Nick (center) and Ryan (Right)Photo Credit: Joshua Behan]

Sleep Well, Josh...
(As posted on their Facebook page)

"It goes without saying that this has been without a doubt been the worst week of our short lives. We can’t even begin to explain the feelings of emptiness. Josh Lecce was our drummer, but even more so, he was like a part of our family. It feels like we lost an actual family member, we loved that kid so much. We cannot even imagine how devastated the parents must be. Our thoughts and prayers go out to both the Lecce and Nicholson family. We are heartbroken for your losses. We don’t see how things will ever be the same again.

We wanted to take some time to acknowledge all the phone calls, texts and kind words we have received this week and sincerely thank all of you for your support and strength during this sad time. It really meant a lot to us to see the kind of turnout that we had on Thursday night (about a thousand people showed up for Josh's wake!), and we know Josh’s parents feel the same way. Josh touched many people’s lives and we are very blessed to know how much all of you are behind us. Thank you all so much for everything and it is really powerful for us to see how many friends we have after only really being around for such a short time. We are thankful every day for each of you, and could never forget how this community really came together to pay tribute to Josh. He made a tremendous impact in all our lives, and will truly be missed.

We would also like to extend a special thanks to Sean Murray for fielding the phone calls and talking to the newspapers and really helping us by dealing with this on a professional level so we could deal with it on a private level. Sean, you are a true friend. Again, a big thanks to everyone—you have a very special place in our hearts. Also, remember to keep checking back for news on Gone For Good’s upcoming EP, The Bright Lights. Josh worked very hard on these songs and he couldn’t wait for you to hear them.

Sleep well, Josh. We love you very, very much.

- Your friends, Ryan and Nick "