A plea deal is now on the table, for a man, charged in a deadly boat accident on Labor Day of 2024.
The deal extended was a 30 year sentence, suspended after 15 years, with five years probation.
“Whatever decision you make in the end is yours,” the judge said to Clayton Hackling in court on Tuesday.
Hackling is charged in the deaths of three people and causing injuries to six others. According to an arrest warrant, he was operating the boat at the time of the crash. He’s also accused of being drunk at the time.
The judge requested he make his decision by March 23, the next court date.
“The next date that I have decided as a judge, I believe, listening to the lawyers, everyone needs to make a final decision about what we are going to do to resolve the matter,” the judge said.
Three young men, Christopher Hallahan, Ryan Britagna, and Ian Duchemin, were killed when the boat slammed into the breakwater at the mouth of the Connecticut River in Old Saybrook.
“You need to sit down with your lawyer and have any final discussions about the evidence the state has against you, possible defense you may have, possible exposure if you go to trial and are convicted,” the judge said. “You need to sit down and get all those final questions answered.”
Hackling’s attorney is still working on the evidence in the case and requested to see the boat itself. It is currently in the custody of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The state said they are lining up a time for him to access the vessel.
The families continue to pursue justice, but well over a year after the crash, some have chosen to work on advocacy as well.
Last legislative session, they advocated for a law change that ties licenses together when facing DUI charges while operating a boat, or a car.
They have also made headway on boating and water safety.
The breakwater itself was also lit at the end of 2025, in honor of all three men killed.
