Press Releases

Driver Who Struck Pedestrian in Brockton Guilty of Motor Vehicle Homicide



Download PDF

Contact:  Beth Stone- (508) 584-8120

BROCKTON – A driver who struck and killed a pedestrian in Brockton was convicted
of a Motor Vehicle Homicide charge today, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz
announced.

After a three-day jury trial in Wareham District Court, Valerie J. Semensi (DOB:
02/07/50) of Cohasset was found guilty of one count of Motor Vehicle Homicide by Negligent
Operation. Wareham District Court Judge Lisa Edmonds sentenced Semensi to serve Probation
for one year and loss of her license to drive for 15 years.

At approximately 8:01 in the morning on June 1, 2016, Brockton Police responded to a
call for a pedestrian struck on West Elm Street in Brockton. Upon arrival, police found a man,
later identified as 66-year-old John A. Buckley, Jr. of Bridgewater, laying on the sidewalk on
West Elm Street, suffering from serious injuries. Buckley was transported to Brockton Hospital
where he was pronounced dead of his injuries at 8:40 am.

Brockton Police contacted State Police Detectives assigned to the District Attorney’s
Office and an investigation commenced. Semensi, the driver of the 2013 Mercedes SUV that
struck Buckley, was backing her vehicle into a space in the courthouse parking lot. The State
Police investigation revealed that Semensi’s vehicle continued to accelerate in reverse and
traveled over the curb of the parking spot, over grass, through a curbed driveway, up a grassy
hill, through bushes and over a sidewalk, at which point the vehicle struck Buckley and knocked
him to the ground. The SUV continued across West Elm Street before finally crashing against a
building. Semensi was distraught at the accident scene and remained behind to speak with police
before she was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Sean Killam and David Cutshall
and was investigated by State Police Detectives in the Plymouth County District Attorney’s
Office, Brockton Police, State Police C.A.R.S. unit and Crime Scene Services.

###

January 25, 2017