A Connecticut man has pleaded guilty in connection with a hit-and-run crash on Route 9 in Berlin in 2024 that killed a Connecticut State Police chaplain who was riding a motorcycle
Gabriel Figueroa, 26, of New Britain took a plea deal last week in New Britain Superior Court, according to Judicial Branch records.
Figueroa pleaded guilty to one count of evading responsibility resulting in a death, court records show. He is free on a $75,000 bond while he awaits sentencing, which has been scheduled for March 19.
Figueroa was arrested last July in connection with a crash on Sept. 18, 2024, that killed 65-year-old Rev. Paul Krampitz of Cromwell, state police said. Troopers said Figueroa initially left the scene of the crash and later returned.
According to the warrant affidavit, the collision was reported just before 4:15 p.m. on Route 9 North in the area of Exit 33, where state police responded upon receiving multiple 911 calls. Troopers found that the crash involved a black 2023 Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycle and a 2006 Chevrolet Impala.
Connecticut State Police chaplain Paul Krampitz was killed after his motorcycle was struck by a motor vehicle on Route 9 in Berlin in September 2024. (Courtesy of Connecticut State Police)
Krampitz was found lying in the shoulder of the highway under a metal beam guardrail suffering from injuries that appeared “not compatible with life,” state police wrote in the warrant affidavit. He was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Figueroa, who was identified as the driver of the Impala, could not be found when troopers arrived, the warrant affidavit said. He did not report any injuries when someone else drove him back to the scene a little less than an hour after the crash was reported, the warrant said.
Figueroa told investigators he was heading home from work at the time of the crash and used the right lane the entire time, according to the warrant affidavit. He claimed that he never went above 65 mph, telling authorities his vehicle was not capable of going any faster, state police wrote.
Figueroa said he was looking to move into the left lane to take an exit when he noticed two motorcyclists riding with one another, the warrant affidavit said. He told police he moved over after one of the riders passed him and the other stayed back, according to the warrant affidavit. He said he believed he had enough space to get into the left lane but the rider allegedly sped up and collided with him as he merged into the left lane, the warrant affidavit said.
According to the warrant affidavit, Figueroa allegedly told police he knew “for a fact” he had enough room to merge into the left lane and that he left the scene and went home after “fear took over.”
Figueroa said he realized once he was home “what had just happened and that I did a wrong thing by leaving the scene,” the warrant affidavit said.
A witness to the crash said the driver of the Impala put his blinker on and moved over, striking the motorcycle Krampitz was riding and sending it into the guardrail, the warrant affidavit said. They said the collision was “not aggressive” but was enough to cause the motorcycle rider to lose control.
An autopsy conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner found that Krampitz died of blunt impact injuries of his torso and extremities. A toxicology report showed that his blood alcohol content was 0.028, the warrant affidavit said.
The crash was investigated by the state police Collision, Analysis and Reconstruction Squad. Investigators ruled that the collision was caused by an unsafe lane change made by Figueroa, according to the warrant affidavit. No other causative factors were listed in the warrant.
According to court records, Figueroa has pleaded not guilty to the other charges he is facing, which includes negligent homicide with a motor vehicle and failure to drive in the proper lane.
According to state police, Krampitz was appointed as a chaplain by Commissioner John A. Danaher III, on July 3, 2008. He was assigned to Troop L in Litchfield, Troop H in Hartford and the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection headquarters in Middletown. He also served as a chaplain for Luther Ridge in Middletown and the Cromwell Police and Fire Departments, according to state police.
Krampitz left behind a wife and their three children as well as his two adult daughters, according to state police.