Man Charged With Manslaughter In Fatal Danbury Crash: Police

DANBURY, CT — A Milford man has been charged with manslaughter and other crimes in connection with a fatal wrong-way crash in Danbury in September, according to state police.

Charles Connors, 34, was charged with second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle, reckless endangerment, driving the wrong way on a divided highway, operating under the influence, and speeding.

Troopers were called at 1:53 a.m. Sept. 10 reporting a head-on car accident on Route 7 south just north of the exit 7 ramp in Danbury.

Police arrived at the scene of the crash to find a black Dodge Challenger and a gray Honda Accord. The Accord's driver, Danielle Dempsey, 25, of Danbury, was unresponsive.

Dempsey was taken to Danbury Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at 2:48 a.m.

The Challenger's driver, later identified as Connors, was conscious but trapped in the car. He was extricated and taken to Danbury Hospital with serious injuries.

Police investigated and spoke with a witness who identified the wrong-way car as the Dodge Challenger. The witness said they were driving on Route 7 south when they saw the Dodge driving the wrong way, according to police. The witness swerved to the right toward the guardrail to avoid hitting the Dodge.

The witness then made a U-turn and began traveling on Route 7 north to see where the Dodge had gone. The witness saw that the Dodge had hit another vehicle and called 911 to report the crash.

Police met with Connors at the hospital. They detected alcohol on his breath and found his speech was delayed and slurred. Connors "made several comments about drinking and driving without being asked" and "continuously explained that he did not recall anything prior to the collision," police said.

A second witness told police that Connors had posted photos and videos on Instagram Stories depicting himself at multiple bars drinking what appeared to be alcohol. Police followed up at a bar in Norwalk where they found a receipt showing that Connors had ordered 11 alcoholic drinks.

Police also took blood samples from Connors at Danbury Hospital. Tests showed that his blood alcohol content was 0.197, more than double the legal limit of .08, according to police.

The investigation found that Connors was driving 56 mph when he struck Dempsey's car.

Connors was taken into custody Tuesday by Milford police and taken to State Police Troop A in Southbury where he was charged. He was held on $300,000 bond and scheduled to appear in Danbury Superior Court on Wednesday.