Not guilty: Morris jury clears woman in East Hanover fatal
MORRISTOWN - A Morris County jury Thursday acquitted Vanessa Brown of recklessly causing the death of Ralph Politi Jr. in East Hanover in 2012 by driving while intoxicated, prompting the victim's widow to storm out of the courtroom with a shout to the jury of "You people are all nuts."
"Are you kidding? Unbelievable! You people are all nuts," widow Rosemarie Politi cried out as she left the courtroom, trailed by some of dozens of relatives and friends who had gathered for the verdict that was reached by the jury of 10 women and two men after one day of deliberations.
The jury found Brown, 35, of Parsippany, not guilty of both aggravated manslaughter and vehicular homicide in the May 5, 2012 death of Politi, 49, as he stood outside his pickup truck on Ridgedale Avenue in East Hanover.
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Defense lawyer Edward Bilinkas, who had heavily criticized and challenged all the state's evidence against Brown, leapt from his chair in the courtroom and cried out "Yes" when the jury forewoman announced the second not guilty finding.
Brown sobbed and hugged Bilinkas after the verdict and said she couldn't breathe and "just prayed" in the seconds before the verdict was announced around 4:15 p.m.
"I absolutely prayed," she said.
"I feel for the family. I am so apologetic. I have to live with this for the rest of my life. This will never go away," said Brown, whose younger sister, Bridget Byrne, was present for the verdict.
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"Ed's the greatest lawyer on the face of the planet and I can't wait to get home to my family. It's been a very long four years," Brown said.
As the angry voices of the victim's family could be heard in the courthouse hallway, Superior Court Judge Salem Vincent Ahto excused the jury and county sheriffs officers were present to ensure there wasn't interaction between the jurors and Politi's family and friends.
Bilinkas asked that Brown be immediately released into his custody but the Sheriff's Office said Brown had to be returned to the Morris County jail and be processed out from there. She has been held the past four years in the jail, unable to post $400,000 bail while awaiting trial.
READ PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Jurors mulling guilt or innocence of driver in East Hanover fatal
There are still several motor vehicle summonses pending against Brown in connection with the crash, including driving while intoxicated and failure to maintain a lane. The judge said he will review the evidence from the trial before making a decision on the motor vehicle offenses.
"I'm happy the jury found my client not guilty," Bilinkas said. "It's been traumatic for me, every time there's a death it is. But the jury did the right thing."
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According to trial testimony, Brown's blood-alcohol content measured .133 percent when it was tested two and one-half hours after the 1:48 p.m. crash on May 5, 2012. The legal limit in New Jersey is 0.08 percent. But a BAC over the legal limit does not automatically equate to recklessness if a fatal crash occurs.
Bilinkas had systematically picked apart all the state's evidence, and heavily criticized East Hanover Police Sgt. John "Jack" Ambrose, a friend of the victim who was the only officer responding to the crash who said he smelled alcohol on Brown, that her speech was slurred, her balance off and her eyes bloodshot.
Bilinkas had argued that Ambrose exaggerated signs of intoxication in Brown so he could quote probable cause to an assistant prosecutor and get permission for Brown's blood to be tested at Morristown Medical Center. The defense lawyer elicited testimony from several witnesses that Brown did not exhibit signs of intoxication and criticized state efforts to portray Brown as an "out-of-control" driver in the hours before the crash.
In his closing statement on Wednesday, Bilinkas begged a jury: "Stop this madness. The evidence is absurd. There is insufficient evidence to convict my client of any criminal offense."
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The victim, a popular businessman in East Hanover and married father of twin daughters, was standing outside his pickup truck that was parked in a space adjacent to Ridgedale Avenue. He was struck by Brown's Toyota Camry when she veered onto the shoulder of the road and impacted his truck, and he died shortly afterwards of catastrophic injuries to his pelvis and legs.
Aggravated manslaughter carries a punishment upon conviction of up to 30 years in jail and vehicular homicide carries a punishment of 10 years behind bars.
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Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@GannettNJ.com.