Morse is facing charges that include manslaughter and boat homicide by reckless operation while under the influence of alcohol in connection with the August 2010 accident.
NORTHAMPTON — Fresh from winning a golf tournament, an exuberant Augustus Adamopoulos of Ludlow convinced his father to go fishing on Lake Norwich in Huntington on the evening of Aug. 17, 2010. Hours later, the boy known to everyone as Gus was struck by a motorboat and killed.
James Adamopoulos took the stand yesterday in the trial of Steven B. Morse to tell the jury his son was a "10-year-old jewel."
"He was exuberant, had vitality and a love for life," Adamopoulos said in the first day of testimony.
Morse, 37, of Westfield, is accused of running the motorboat he was driving over the kayak Adamopoulos and his father were paddling on the Huntington lake on that evening. The boat severed Gus Adamolopoulos' left arm, crushed his ribs and gashed his lungs so deeply he could not draw breath. He died at the scene.
Augustus AdamopoulosMorse 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.
This morning, the jurors visited the scene of the accident at Norwich Lake and viewed the motor boat and kayak outside the Northampton police station. The trial is scheduled to continue throughout the week.