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Clifton Park man to receive 3 to 10 years in State prison when sentenced
DELMAR – Matthew Monthie, of Clifton Park, accepted a plea deal before Albany County Supreme Court Judge William Little on Monday, Jan. 8.
Monthie’s counsel, Stephen Coffey of O’Connell & Aronowitz, said Monthie agreed to plead guilty to two counts—Second Degree Manslaughter and Driving While Intoxicated. Coffey stated that as part of the plea deal, Monthie will face state prison time ranging from 3 1/3 to 10 years when he returns to court for sentencing on Monday, March 4.
Coffey explained that Monthie accepted the plea agreement because “he couldn’t win the case.” A motion to dismiss the indictment that Coffey filed in August had been denied. Monthie remains out on bail pending sentencing.
The 29-year-old was originally indicted on six counts, including manslaughter in the second degree, assault in the second degree, and vehicular manslaughter, all felonies. He was also charged with three misdemeanors, including DWI and Driving While Ability Impaired by the combination of alcohol and drugs. These charges stem from an early morning car crash on Route 85 in Bethlehem that killed Shawna Marzahl, a 53-year-old Selkirk woman, at the scene.
Coffey expects Monthie to speak on his own behalf at sentencing but declined to comment on what Monthie might say. When asked if Monthie has concerns about going to prison, Coffey said, “he has a lot of concerns.”
The Crash
The head-on fiery crash on Route 85 occurred on Monday, May 1, on the bridge crossing the Thruway near the Albany city line.
At approximately 6:55 a.m., Bethlehem police, Albany Fire and EMS, Slingerlands Fire, North Bethlehem Fire, and Delmar-Bethlehem EMS responded to the two-car accident. According to Bethlehem police reports, Monthie’s car, traveling westbound, crossed over the center lane and collided with Marzahl’s vehicle, which was heading toward Albany.
Both vehicles caught fire and were extinguished by Albany firefighters.
Agnes Zellin and Paul Tick of Delmar, traveling to an early-morning appointment, narrowly avoided the crash.
“As we were just coming across the bridge, I saw a small dump truck on the other side of the road. Then, out of nowhere, a blue car came into our lane. I swerved to the right to avoid it, and it swerved away from me,” Zellin said.
They described Monthie’s vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed.
“Gravel kicked up all over the car as it went by. It was so thick it was like we were in a cloud; we couldn’t see,” Tick said. “It was so close I could feel the speed as it went by.”
Marzahl’s white Ford SUV, directly behind Zellin and Tick, flipped over and came to rest on the bridge. Monthie’s Subaru WRX ended up in the westbound lane. Several good Samaritans pulled the drivers from the burning vehicles.
Marzahl died at the scene, and Monthie was taken to Albany Medical Center Hospital with what were later described as serious injuries.
A third vehicle, driven by Thomas J. Nastars, 20, of Slingerlands, sustained windshield damage from flying debris. Nastars’ vehicle was directly behind Marzahl’s, police said.
Zellin recalled the moment vividly: “I wasn’t even sure what had just happened. We said, ‘Holy cow, we could have just been killed.’ I looked in my rearview mirror and saw billows of smoke.”
The road remained closed between Blessing and Krumkill Roads for over 12 hours as Bethlehem police and the Albany County Crash Investigation Team investigated.
Witnesses reported seeing smoke rising from the car as they passed under the bridge on the Thruway. Fire trucks were present at the scene.
The Indictment
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,” according to the indictment unsealed in Albany County Court on Wednesday, June 7. His blood alcohol content (BAC) was recorded at over 0.08 percent from a test taken on the day of the crash.
According to an earlier statement by Coffey, Monthie’s attorneys had been back in court this Fall with Judge Little and attorneys from the Albany County District Attorney’s office to talk about how to resolve the matter.. At the time, the Albany County District Attorney’s office said no plea offer had been placed on the record.
Same Location, a Year Earlier
The crash occurred nearly a year after another fatal accident at the same location.
On Thursday, May 11, 2023, Michael Kleinke Jr., a 17-year-old Colonie High School senior, died after his car was hit by a Mercedes driven by Thomas McGrath, 71, of Slingerlands.
That crash, which occurred about 200 feet from the recent one, involved McGrath crossing the center line and colliding head-on with Kleinke’s vehicle.
McGrath was hospitalized and submitted to toxicology tests. On Tuesday, July 25, 2023, detectives charged McGrath with manslaughter and aggravated vehicular homicide, both felonies, as well as DWAI-Drugs. He was later indicted by an Albany County Grand Jury on Thursday, May 30, 2024. That case is ongoing in Albany County Court.
John McIntyre co-wrote this story
