New York:
A 36-year-old Indian-origin man, who crashed a powerboat into a construction barge killing a bride-to-be and her fiance's best man two weeks before the wedding, has been jailed for two years in the US.
Jojo John, who pleaded guilty to two counts of second- degree vehicular manslaughter for crashing the boat into the barge on Hudson River in July 2013, was sentenced yesterday. John pleaded guilty in June to vehicular manslaughter after he had been driving the boat with nearly twice the legal level of alcohol in his system.
The impact of the crash killed two of his friends, Lindsey Stewart of Piermont and Mark Lennon of Pearl River, both 30. John and the groom-to-be, Brian Bond were injured. Stewart and Bond were to be married two weeks later, with Lennon as best man.
Lennon's brother Raymond said both families are experiencing "incomprehensible heartache." But he also empathised with John's situation, saying he was not there "to speak ill of Jojo John."
John tearfully expressed remorse for the incident in the court.
"There are days when I question why God took two people and not me," John was quoted as saying in the New York Daily News.
"I find myself crying a lot because of how my heart feels about them not being here...I am standing here heartbroken."
He turned towards the victims' families in the courtroom, and said, through tears, "If I could, I would give my own life" to bring back his friends.
John's lawyer, David Narain, said the crash was caused by poor lighting on the barge, but officials countered that argument, saying it was properly lighted.
Jojo John, who pleaded guilty to two counts of second- degree vehicular manslaughter for crashing the boat into the barge on Hudson River in July 2013, was sentenced yesterday. John pleaded guilty in June to vehicular manslaughter after he had been driving the boat with nearly twice the legal level of alcohol in his system.
The impact of the crash killed two of his friends, Lindsey Stewart of Piermont and Mark Lennon of Pearl River, both 30. John and the groom-to-be, Brian Bond were injured. Stewart and Bond were to be married two weeks later, with Lennon as best man.
Lennon's brother Raymond said both families are experiencing "incomprehensible heartache." But he also empathised with John's situation, saying he was not there "to speak ill of Jojo John."
John tearfully expressed remorse for the incident in the court.
"There are days when I question why God took two people and not me," John was quoted as saying in the New York Daily News.
"I find myself crying a lot because of how my heart feels about them not being here...I am standing here heartbroken."
He turned towards the victims' families in the courtroom, and said, through tears, "If I could, I would give my own life" to bring back his friends.
John's lawyer, David Narain, said the crash was caused by poor lighting on the barge, but officials countered that argument, saying it was properly lighted.
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