Judge Daniel Ford admitted all five clips of a video taken by police two days after the accident in an attempt to recreate the conditions.
Augustus AdamopoulosNORTHAMPTON - As his father tried frantically to revive him on the shore of Lake Norwich, a badly injured Augustus Adamopoulos told him, "Let me die," a prosecutor said Friday.
Northwestern Assistant District Attorney Matthew Thomas' description of the aftermath of the fatal crash that took the life of the 10-year-old boy was among the evidence a jury will not hear when the trial of Steven B. Morse begins on Monday.
Morse, 37, of Westfield, is accused of running the motorboat he was driving over the kayak Adamopoulos and his father, James Adamopoulos, were paddling on the Huntington lake on the evening on Aug. 17, 2010.
Morse is charged with manslaughter, boat homicide by reckless operation while under the influence of alcohol and boat homicide by reckless operation, as well as three counts of child endangerment while under the influence.
Northampton Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Ford heard a number of motions from both sides Friday in preparation for the trial. In the course of the proceeding, lawyuers described a scene of horror and chaos in which Morse pulled the injured Adamopoulos into his boat and took him to shore. As he looked on from his boat, James Adamopoulos shouted at him, saying "What's wrong with you? Are you drunk?" according to Thomas.
Thomas said he would not offer Adamopoulos' dying utterance during the trial, however, acknowledging the emotional impact it would have on the jury. Defense lawyer Micheal O. Jennings is also seeking to strike the echange between James Adamopoulos and Morse, saying his client's silence wasi not an acknowledgment of guilt.
Although the prosecution maintains that Morse was impaired from a combination of alcohol and marijuana when the impact occurred, Jennings noted that police who examined his client at the scene did not find him to be intoxicated and that a breathalyzer test showed his blood alcohol was below the legal limit.
Ford admitted all five clips of a video taken by police two days after the accident in an attempt to recreate the conditions. The video shows that the sun's glare on the water limited visibility at that time of day. The jury is expected to visit the scene on Tuesday and also examined the kayak and motor boat involved in the crash. Thomas said the Environmental Police will put a buoy in the weater at the placxe where they recovered Adamopoulos' arm.
Known to friends and family as "Gus," Adamopoulos was popular athlete in his home town of Ludlow. He loved fishing and hoped to have a career in professional golf or basketball.