A grieving father brought a courtroom to tears as he told of his devastation after his daughter was killed by a drunk driver in a 70mph crash involving cocaine.
Claire Zisserman, 13, died during the horror hit in Pembroke, Massachusetts after Gregory Goodsell, 36, got behind the wheel while high after a drunken Christmas party.
Her mother Elizabeth Zisserson and friend Kendall Zemotel, 13, were also seriously injured in the December 2019 collision.
On Thursday, Goodsell was given a life sentence for his crimes, but her family told how the loss of Claire had robbed them of theirs too.
A grieving father moved the courtroom to tears as he told of his devastation after his daughter Claire Zisserson, 13, was killed by a drunk driver in a 70mph crash involving cocaine
“It’s not normal to be handed a pen to sign a form approving your daughter as an organ donor,” said a tearful Ken Zisserman, prompting despair among many in the public gallery.
“It was a symbolic moment when all hope was lost and Claire didn’t come home,” he said.
“It is not normal to see your daughter’s last breath as the hospital allowed her to slowly die from her injuries.”
“After Claire died, I didn’t want to live anymore,” Elizabeth Zisserson said as she wiped away tears. “The pain of Claire’s loss is overwhelming for me.
‘My world changed the day Claire was murdered. I no longer recognize the person I am today compared to the person I used to be.
“I was a super busy mom juggling sports, scouts, carpools, school projects, away games and everything else in everyday life.”
The court previously heard that Goodsell had a blood alcohol level of 0.266 at the time of the crash, more than three times Minnesota’s limit of 0.08.
He appeared to be under the influence of cocaine when he ran a red light and crashed his Ford F-250 truck into the Zisserson’s Subaru.
Claire’s father Ken opened up about the family’s devastation, saying it was ‘not natural’ to have to sign forms consenting to his daughter becoming an organ donor
Gregory Goodsell, 36, got behind the wheel while high after a drunken Christmas party and was found guilty of causing the teen’s murder
He plowed his Ford Truck into the Zisserson’s Subaru, killing Claire and seriously injuring her mother and friend
In his car, police found a bottle of whiskey, marijuana, a pipe, a beer can and two bottles of soda.
Zisseson took full responsibility for the tragedy, saying that during this party he made himself “completely vulnerable to any situation that arose.”
But the former Hi-Way Safety Systems employee had committed 35 violations before the accident.
“How can I think, despite the amount of pain I have caused both emotionally and physically, that saying sorry for my actions that morning is good enough to everyone involved in this absolutely devastating, tragic accident?” sobbed a shaky Goodsell.
‘Because of my out-of-control mentality and chaotic behavior that whole night, a young lady with a bright future is no longer alive.
“No one should ever try to survive the pain I caused all these people through my careless, destructive behavior.
“If I could go back to that day and die, instead of Claire, I would in a heartbeat.”
Ken and Claire Zisserson became emotional in court when they came face to face with their daughter’s killer
People in the public gallery at Plymouth Superior Court were reduced to tears as they listened to the victim impact statements from the parents
Goodsell was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. He also became emotional as he expressed remorse for his crimes
But Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz dismissed Goodsell’s remorse as “crying for himself.”
“The tears I want to deal with are the victims,” he told Boston 25News.
“Every decision has consequences, and if Gregory Goodsell had made different choices that fateful evening, Claire would still be with us today,” he added in a statement.
“I am hopeful that these two families and all whose lives were torn apart by this horrific crash can find some healing and a sense of closure with this sentencing.”
Goodsell was found guilty of second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter while intoxicated and other crimes.
He will not be eligible for parole until 28 years, minus time served.