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Family remains devastated
ALBANY — Matthew Monthie, a 29-year-old Clifton Park man who pleaded guilty on Jan. 8 to second-degree manslaughter and driving while intoxicated, was sentenced Tuesday, March 4, to 3⅓ to 10 years in state prison.
Albany County Judge William Little handed down the sentence, which includes 3⅓ to 10 years for the felony manslaughter charge and one year for the misdemeanor DWI charge, to be served concurrently.
Judge Little also ordered Monthie to pay all mandatory fees associated with both charges. Upon release, he must serve a one-year conditional discharge and participate in both a victim impact panel and an impaired driving panel. His New York state driver’s license has been revoked, and any vehicle he drives in the future must be equipped with an ignition interlock device.
The charges stem from a head-on fiery crash on Route 85 occurred on Monday, May 1 on Route 85 in Bethlehem that killed 53-year-old Selkirk resident Shawna Marzahl at the scene.
According to the indictment in Albany County Court, Monthie was accused of “driving at excessive speed, failing to maintain his lane of travel, after having consumed a significant amount of cannabis and alcohol.” A test taken the day of the crash recorded his blood alcohol content at over 0.08%.
Monthie was originally indicted on six counts, including second-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault, and vehicular manslaughter, all felonies. He also faced three misdemeanor charges, including DWI and driving while ability impaired by the combination of alcohol and drugs. He pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and DWI as part of a plea agreement.
Before sentencing, Monthie asked the court for leniency, saying he wanted to change his life and become a more responsible member of society. Judge Little dismissed his plea, stating that the sentence Monthie received was already lenient.
Both Marzahi’s husband, Dennis Marzahi, and her daughter, Victoria Calhoun, addressed Monthie in victim impact statements.
Marzahi, pausing several times while reading his statement, blamed Monthie for his “selfish” and “bad” choices. “As a result of your actions, you took the life of my beautiful wife,” he said.
“I will not forgive you,” Calhoun told Monthie. “She will miss the best part of her life all because of you. Tell me, was it worth it?”
Monthie, who had been free on $50,000 bail, was handcuffed and escorted out of the courtroom to begin serving his sentence.
This is a preliminary story and we will post an update as we process more information.
