Man gets 60 days for woman's death

Vehicular manslaughter charge also carries 3 years probation

By MARSHA DORGAN
Register Staff Writer

William McDonough will spend 60 days in Napa County jail for the traffic death of a 39-year-old pregnant Calistoga woman.

Although not charged with road rage, deputy district attorney Catherine Borsetto, who prosecuted the case, alluded it played a major role in Jennifer Haden’s March 2007 death.

McDonough, 48, was charged and pleaded no contest to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter — non alcohol, non gross negligence. At his sentencing last week, Napa County Superior Court Judge Rodney Stone also ordered McDonough serve three years probation and perform community service.

Haden was killed in a three-car crash on Highway 29, south of Madison Avenue in Yountville. She was driving south on the highway. McDonough was headed north in his Nissan pickup. Where the highway narrows to one lane, McDonough attempted to pass a minivan, driven by Greg DeCaro, 56, of Calistoga.

According to Borsetto’s sentencing brief filed with the court, DeCaro said he honked his horn at McDonough when he made the unsafe pass. McDonough hit his brakes in front of DeCaro’s vehicle in an “act of spite,” Borsetto said in the court document.

McDonough’s braking, caused DeCaro to slam into the back of McDonough’s pickup, pushing him into oncoming traffic and slamming into the driver’s side door of Haden’s Toyota. Haden, who was about four months pregnant, died at the scene.

Witnesses told investigators that they did not see any reason for McDonough to slam on his brakes, and he was speeding and weaving in and out of traffic prior to the accident.

However, McDonough told probation officers in an interview before his sentencing that DeCaro was tailgating him and he was watching his rear-view mirror. He said when he resumed looking at the traffic in front of him, it was stopped and he had to slam on his brakes to avoid hitting a car. He denied speeding and weaving.

McDonough described Haden’s death as a “horrible accident,” according to the probation report.

He said he entered the no contest plea so not to have to put his family and victim’s family through a court trial. He also said in the report that “I didn’t want to fight with the victim’s family in court.”

The probation officer said she did not think McDonough took responsibility for his actions, adding he was “shocked DeCaro was not charged (with a crime) and he was.”

In a letter to Judge Stone, McDonough expressed his sorrow about Haden’s death and how he wanted to address her family earlier.

“I think about the victim all the time and all she is missing out on ... birthdays, motherhood,” McDonough wrote.

Victim impact statements written by Haden’s sister, Kelly Knapp, and friend Kristen Boyd, expressed their grief for the loss of someone very special and close to them. Both asked the court to hand down the maximum sentence, which is one year in county jail.

At the time of her death, Haden was a hostess at Mustard’s Grill on Highway 29, just north of Yountville.

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