WOBURN — A letter sent to State Police Superintendent Col. Geoffrey Noble accuses the agency of engaging in a “deliberate cover‑up” to protect Sgt. Scott Quigley after a 2023 on‑duty crash that killed a disabled passenger — alleging that what followed was so compromised and incomplete that it failed to resemble a legitimate investigation.
The letter, written by attorney Michael Mahoney on behalf of the estate of 37‑year‑old Special Olympian Angelo Schettino, lays out a detailed account of what Mahoney describes as investigative interference, falsified reporting and months of stonewalling that prevented the family from learning the truth.
Mahoney is calling for a “truly independent investigation” into Quigley’s actions before the crash.
The estate already has a lawsuit pending against the State Police over the crash.
According to Mahoney, from the earliest moments after the collision, State Police supervisors took steps that ensured a proper investigation never occurred.
“The totality of this conduct demonstrates a coordinated effort by members of the Massachusetts State Police to conceal material facts, delay and obstruct a proper investigation, and interfere with the plaintiff’s access to evidence,” Mahoney said in the letter. “This conduct amounts to a deliberate cover-up designed to shield Trooper Quigley from criminal accountability and violates the constitutional rights of the decedent, Mr. Schettino.”
Mahoney pointed to audio and video recordings from the State Police that show while driving to the scene of the wreck on Lexington Street in Woburn on Dec. 12, 2023, Trooper Martin Cooke asked whether he should go directly to Lahey Hospital to interview Quigley — a routine step in a serious‑injury crash.
He was told not to, prompting him to remark that the order “did not make sense.”
When crash investigator Sgt. Jennifer Penton arrived at the crash, she made comments suggesting she believed superiors were trying to limit scrutiny, saying, “They’re looking out for him … maybe they know it was his fault,” and adding that command staff “don’t even want me to come, like I’m freaking IA (internal affairs).”
Despite being the assigned investigator, Penton never went to Lahey Hospital to interview Quigley but did go to Winchester Hospital to interview the driver of the van that was transporting Schettino at the time of the crash.
According to Mahoney, there is no indication that any officer interviewed Quigley at the hospital immediately following the wreck.
“It is believed that other troopers were present at Lahey Hospital and may have controlled access to him,” he said in the letter.
Medical records obtained through litigation show that Quigley’s blood was drawn at 6:01 p.m., a little more than an hour after the crash, and revealed a blood‑alcohol concentration of 0.114, which is above the legal limit of .08.
Event data recorder information later produced in court shows Quigley’s cruiser was traveling 59 miles per hour in a 30‑mile‑per‑hour zone when it crossed the centerline and struck the van carrying Schettino.
Mahoney stated that this info — intoxication and excessive speed — should have led to criminal charges potentially including operating under the influence, and offenses resulting in serious bodily injury and/or death.
Instead, Mahoney noted that Penton’s final crash report from Aug. 27, 2024, stated that no alcohol test had been administered, that alcohol use was not suspected, and that the crash may have been caused by a “medical episode, including fatigue and lightheadedness.”
Penton ultimately issued a written warning for a marked lanes violation.
Mahoney also stated that evidence has arisen suggesting Quigley had been drinking at Teresa’s Ristorante Bar and Pizzeria in Woburn before the crash, reportedly in the company of other troopers.
The attorney wrote that evidence “suggests that Lt. Col. Brian Connor was present at Teresa’s and may have either consumed alcohol or witnessed Trooper Quigley doing so,” yet on July 19, 2024, he signed a crash review attributing the collision in part to a possible medical event.
“A proper investigation would have included interviews of all individuals present, including officers and restaurant staff, and an inquiry into potential over-service,” Mahoney said. “Additionally, if Trooper Quigley was on duty and in possession of his service weapon while consuming alcohol, this would warrant serious disciplinary action.”
Mahoney further accuses the State Police of ignoring public records requests, claiming the investigation was ongoing even though the case file had not been updated in months.
Records were produced only after subpoenas were issued. Mahoney said the “totality of this conduct demonstrates a coordinated effort … to conceal material facts, delay and obstruct a proper investigation, and interfere with the plaintiff’s access to evidence.”
After outlining these allegations, Mahoney called for what he described as a “truly independent investigation” into Quigley’s actions before the crash, the cause of the collision, his intoxication and speed, any efforts to block or delay interviews at Lahey Hospital, the false reporting of alcohol testing, and the State Police’s “repeated denials of public‑records requests.”
He argued that each of these areas represents a critical step that was ignored or actively obstructed.
In addition to Noble, copies of Mahoney’s letter were sent to Attorney General Andrea Campbell, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, and the Joint Chairs of the Legislature’s Public Safety Committee.
Mahoney’s call for an outside review is separate from a different inquiry referenced in a previous letter Noble sent to Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan — a letter Mahoney included as an attachment to his own correspondence.
Noble’s letter to Ryan acknowledges “deficiencies in the investigation” and agrees that an independent review is necessary.
“I want to first acknowledge my sympathy for the family and loved ones of Angelo Schettino and express my commitment to fully explore and understand the facts and circumstances that led to his death, and any role the Department may have contributed to the tragedy,” Noble said in the letter.
He outlined plans for an outside assessment by a three‑person team from 21CP Solutions, “a national organization that works with law enforcement agencies,” along with parallel internal affairs and criminal investigations.
He also describes new oversight measures, including mandatory captain‑level response to cruiser crashes involving injury, strengthened conflict‑of‑interest screening, and refresher training on serious‑injury protocols.
“A serious incident resulting in the loss of life demands timely notification, rigorous oversight and complete accountability,” Noble said in the letter.
The fatal crash has already set off investigations beyond the internal review Noble described.
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office is weighing whether Quigley — who has been suspended without pay — should face criminal charges after the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office recused itself from the case.
Quigley’s involvement in the crash and the alleged cover‑up has halted the retrial of Billy, Billoeum, and Channa Phan, the three brothers charged with first‑degree murder in the 2020 killing of 22‑year‑old Tyrone Phet in Lowell. Quigley, a homicide investigator assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, served as a key investigator in that case.
The brothers’ first trial in November 2024 ended with a hung jury.
Follow Aaron Curtis on X @aselahcurtis, or on Bluesky @aaronscurtis.bsky.social.
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