Marshfield man found guilty of murder in 2019 drunk-driving crash that killed 13-year-old

PLYMOUTH – A 36-year-old Marshfield man has been found guilty on all charges related to the 2019 drunken-driving crash that led to the death of a 13-year-old girl.

Chief among the charges against Gregory Goodsell was the second-degree murder charge in the death of Claire Zisserson, who was traveling with her mother and friend to New Hampshire for a snowboarding trip in the early hours of Dec. 29, 2019.

Goodsell had left a Christmas work party in his company truck and drove home under the influence of marijuana, cocaine and alcohol, prosecutors said. He ran a red light in Pembroke and hit the Subaru Outback in which Elizabeth Zisserson, Claire Zisserson and Kendall Zemotel were traveling. Claire died at Boston Children’s Hospital, and Elizabeth and Kendall were left with lasting effects from the crash.

The defense argued that Goodsell was too inebriated to make decisions and process information, and could not have known what he was doing when the crash occurred. An element of second-degree murder requires proof of intent, or the awareness of the circumstances to do an act that a reasonable person would know could lead to the likelihood of someone’s death.

The prosecution said that Goodsell’s refusal to call an Uber, ignoring others' efforts to prevent him from driving, as well as his statements made immediately after the crash suggested that he was aware of his actions.

After an eight-day trial, the 12-person jury deliberated for nearly two full days before reaching its conclusion. Hours before announcing the verdict, the jury asked Judge Diane Freniere to re-read jury instructions for the elements that must be met for the second-degree murder charge.

Goodsell was also found guilty of manslaughter by motor vehicle under the influence of an intoxicating liquor and blood alcohol content of 0.08 or above, two counts of operating under the influence causing serious bodily injury and leaving the scene of property damage.

He will be held without bail until the sentencing hearing on Oct. 3 at 9 a.m.

( This story was updated to change and add photos.)

Hannah Morse covers growth and development for The Patriot Ledger. Contact her at hmorse@patriotledger.com .

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Marshfield man found guilty of murder in 2019 drunk-driving crash that killed 13-year-old