A Gardner man who lost his wife when she was murdered by a construction worker at the fast food chain where she was employed has reached a Massachusetts wrongful death settlement over the case. The plaintiff and the defendants arrived at an agreement on August 4, while the Worcester Superior Court jury was in its second day of jury deliberations over a possible verdict.
Thomas Miller’s wife Sherylann Miller was stabbed to death in December 2000 at a KFC-Taco Bell that was under construction in Clinton. She was the manager of the restaurant.
The man who was convicted of her murder, Quillie Merle Spray III, was a tile setter who worked at the site. He has been sentenced to life in prison for Sherylann’s stabbing death.
In 2003, Thomas sued Spray, Spray’s brother, and the construction company that employed them for his wife’s Clinton, Massachusetts wrongful death.
Massachusetts Wrongful Death Complaints Stemming from Violent Crimes
If someone you love died as a victim of a violent crime, there may be more than one party that you can sue for Boston wrongful death. For example, if your loved one was murdered on another party’s premise, there may have been more the property owner or supervisor could have done to prevent the crime from occurring, including (depending on the circumstances, the specifics, and the location of the crime, of course) installing an alarm system, security cameras, or better lighting, hiring a security guard, conducting employee background checks, or keeping people who shouldn’t be on the premise off the property.
The person that committed the crime can also be held liable in civil court. The civil court system is different from the criminal court system. Massachusetts’s civil court system gives the family members of the victim the opportunity to present their complaint before a jury that then deliberates over whether the defendant(s) should pay the plaintiff(s) Massachusetts wrongful death compensation.
There also may be other parties, aside from the property owner and the attacker, who can be held liable. In the Massachusetts wrongful death case filed by Thomas Miller, the plaintiff sued the company that employed Spray for his wife’s wrongful death.
Husband of Massachusetts Slaying Victim Settles Wrongful Death Suit, Claims Journal, August 7, 2009
Husband of slay victim settles wrongful death suit, Boston.com, August 6, 2009
Related Web Resource:
Wrongful Death, Justia