New Haven police have arrested a man nicknamed “Wolverine” for seriously injuring and ultimately causing the death of a man who was trying to cross Grand Avenue between Poplar and Ferry streets in March.
On Tuesday, the police took the man into custody. He goes by “Wolverine” not because he is the fictional character of Marvel Comics fame come to life, but because of the state of his teeth — he’s missing his front incisors in his top row and appears only to have left his canines and molars.
The Wolverine didn’t admit culpability to police, according to a press release from police spokesman Officer David Hartman. Wolverine told police that had been in the vehicle that struck Kucher on the evening of the crash. Little did he know, investigators already had statements from witnesses who saw him fleeing from the Honda’s driver’s seat after the crash, according to Hartman.
A Hit And Run
On March 7, 54-year-old Michael Kucher of New Haven was attempting to cross Grand Avenue, when the driver of a white Honda Accord struck him. Police officers and firefighters were called to the scene at just after midnight on that night.
Witnesses at the scene said the Honda driver struck a tree before hitting Kucher. He did not stop, but fled west on Grand Avenue. The white Honda Accord was thought to be close to a 1999 – 2000, two-door coup with tinted windows. Broken safety glass littered the scene. One witness said he knew the Honda’s operator as “Wolverine” – a short, stocky man with “vampire like fangs.” The man wore a white shirt, jeans and white sneakers.
Surveillance video was collected from three locations and showed pre- and post-crash events. The recordings were evaluated and showed the offending vehicle in a race, of sorts with two others.
The day after Kutcher was hit, police were dispatched to a suspicious vehicle complaint at 1523 Chapel St. The property manager said a car had been “hidden” between a wall and passenger van. The windshield was cracked and covered up. It was a white Honda; the manager suspected it could be the one cops were searching for from the crash.
Sgt. Rose Dell, a specialist on the department’s Crash Investigation Team, dug further. She checked the NHPD’s tow record for the car and got a hit. It had been towed on Aug. 15, 2015, to a local yard. When Dell asked who’d retrieved it afterward, she was presented with the owner’s information. On March 13, Dell and Sergeant Carlos Maldonado located and interviewed the car’s owner of record. He said he’d sold it – along with its bogus Tennessee license plate.
Nearly two weeks after he was hit, Kucher died of complications related to the injuries he sustained in the crash. The cause of death was blunt impact injury of the head, neck, torso and extremities.
Search Heats Up
The search continued – now with considerably more serious case at hand. After a month and a half of connecting the dots, Dell and her new case partner, Detective Sgt. David Zannelli from Homicide, followed the evidence to the current owner. Fair Haven patrol officers were on the lookout for the owner when Officer Elvin Rivera, acting on a tip, was alerted to Wolverine’s presence at a local bar. Wolverine’s true identity was learned, and he was brought in to headquarters for an interview.
Witness statements, surveillance recordings and physical evidence were combined to support the case against Wolverine. On Tuesday, Wolverine was taken into custody for an unrelated matter and charged with felony evading, manslaughter in the second degree, misconduct with a motor vehicle and reckless driving.
"It had been towed on Aug. 15, 2015, to a local yard. When Dell asked who'd retrieved it afterward, she was presented with the owner's information. On March 13, Dell and Sergeant Carlos Maldonado located and interviewed the car's owner of record. He said he'd sold it – along with its bogus Tennessee license plate."
Bogus Plate the PD did pick up on?