The New Hampshire Supreme Court has rejected an appeal for a bail hearing for the driver of a pick-up truck who has been in jail since he was charged with causing the deaths of seven motorcyclists in 2019.
Volodymyr Zhukovskyy was driving a pickup truck that collided with a group of motorcyclists, killing seven members of the Jarhead Motorcycle Club and injuring others in a crash in Randolph. Zhukovskyy was charged with negligent homicide and operating under the influence of narcotics at the time of the crash. He’s been held in custody pending trial.
After a lower court judge rejected three requests for an evidentiary bail hearing, Zhukovskyy’s lawyers appealed to the New Hampshire Supreme Court. In a unanimous opinion released Thursday, the justices found ample evidence exists in the record regarding Zhukovskyy’s potential danger to the public, including his previous offenses for driving under the influence.
“The undisputed facts establish a pattern of reckless behavior involving the defendant’s operation of motor vehicles while impaired to the detriment of the safety of the public,” Justice James Bassett wrote for the court.
Zhukovskyy’s lawyers argued that a crash reconstruction report found he likely didn’t cross the center line, as prosecutors originally maintained. His lawyers also contend he has remained sober while incarcerated.
Toxicology reports showed Zhukovskyy had fentanyl and cocaine in his system at the time of the crash.
The motorcyclists killed in the crash, dubbed the “Fallen Seven,” were members of a club made up of Marines and their supporters.
Zhukovskyy’s criminal trial was scheduled to start in November, but has been delayed as lawyers requested more time to prepare.
