$100K bail set in alleged Massachusetts drunken driving death of boy with ‘a heart of gold’
Alleged drunken driver Michael Escolas is being held on $100,000 cash bail after prosecutors said he killed a 10-year-old boy his grief-stricken grandmothers said had a “heart of gold.”
The Oxford man is accused of causing a car crash that killed the youngster Saturday night. He was arraigned at Wrentham District Court on Monday afternoon.
Escolas, 42, faces charges of motor vehicle manslaughter, second-degree OUI, larceny of a motor vehicle, negligent operation and other related charges, officials said. Escolas allegedly stole a Jeep Cherokee belonging to a Vermont couple parked outside of Gillette Stadium for the Kenny Chesney concert.
Police said the Jeep struck a family of six in a Nissan Altima registered in Rhode Island while it was stopped at the traffic light near an intersection of Route 1 and Route 495 around 8:30 p.m. in Plainville.
Escolas and the family were all transported to local hospitals. A 10-year-old child in the Nissan, identified outside court as Jayden Bush-Victorian, did not survive.
Bush-Victorian’s two grandmothers, who asked to remain anonymous, told reporters outside court that their grandson “was a good kid” and “so happy.”
“He was a beautiful child,” one grandmother said. “He was loved and adored by everyone. If you encountered him, you would have fell in love with this child. He had a heart of gold.”
The grandmothers sadly added the “child is no longer with us. He’s not here anymore.”
“He loved his family, he was the protector of his brothers,” one continued.
Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey’s office said Escolas was arraigned before Judge Thomas Finigan, who ordered the commonwealth’s requested $100,000 cash bail and conditions — including no driving, staying away from the victim’s family, and remaining alcohol-free.
The prosecutor who represented the Norfolk DA’s office during the arraignment was Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, who has become a household name through the Karen Read trial.
Lally told the judge that Escolas’ speed at the time of the crash was “approximately 50 miles and hour,” according to video from the courtroom.
“When asked what happened,” Lally said, “The defendant stated, ‘I came up quick, I don’t know.’”
Meanwhile, the defense attorney representing Escolas was Joe Cataldo; he was the lawyer for Michelle Carter, who was found guilty in the high-profile suicide-by-text case.
Escolas is next scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 19 for probable cause, according to officials.
Michael Escolas, 42, of Oxford, was arraigned Monday in Wrentham District Court on charges stemming from the weekend fatal crash in Plainville that resulted in the death of 10-year-old Jayden Bush-Victorian. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle/Pool)
Family members weep at Wrentham District Court as Michael Escolas, 42, of Oxford, is arraigned for alleged drunk driving and other charges in connection with a crash that killed 10-year-old Jayden Bush-Victorian. (Photo by Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle/Pool)Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle/Pool)