Monson man pleads guilty in 2021 motor vehicle homicide
BOSTON, July 16, 2025 – A Monson man will serve a split sentence after pleading guilty today to motor vehicle homicide in a 2021 crash that killed a 51-year-old Winthrop man, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
KRISTOPHER CARR, 29, of Monson pleaded guilty in Suffolk Superior Court to one count of motor vehicle homicide. Judge Mary Ames sentenced Carr to two-and-a-half years in the House of Correction with 18 months to serve and the balance suspended for three years. Ames also ordered a substance abuse evaluation and any necessary follow-up treatment.
Under state law Carr’s driver’s license will be suspended for 15 years.
At about 1:25 a.m. on October 29, 2021, state police received a 911 call for a motor vehicle crash on Route 93 Southbound. Responding troopers discovered an SUV and motorcycle that appeared to have crashed, and Carr, the driver of the SUV, rendering aid to the operator of the motorcycle, later identified as Christopher Zike.
Zike was pronounced dead at Boston Medical Center. Carr and his girlfriend were treated for minor injuries at Mass General Hospital.
Subsequent investigation revealed that Carr, an off-duty state trooper at the time of the crash, was operating the SUV with his girlfriend in the front passenger seat. He leaned over to kiss his girlfriend, swerved and struck the median barrier, disabling the SUV in the leftmost two lanes of the highway. Zike, who was driving to a 2 a.m. shift at Ikea in Stoughton, crashed into the SUV and was thrown from his motorcycle.
Witness statements and video from several establishments confirmed that Carr consumed numerous alcoholic beverages the evening of October 28 into the morning of October 29.
At today’s hearing Zike’s brother described him as “a good person” and “fun,” who had a great relationship with the brother’s daughter, Zike’s niece. The brother said Zike was “interested and invested in his community in Winthrop,” and that he planted a garden at the Winthrop Senior Center and was interested in the repurposing of school and park land.
“We were reminded in a most tragic way today how a few extremely bad decisions ended one life and impacted so many others. Christopher Zike’s life will be remembered and mourned by his family and friends while Kristopher Carr’s life will take a vastly different path than he likely intended, all due to his decisions and actions that night and morning,” Hayden said.
All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop. The office handles more than 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs for anyone encountering the criminal justice system. We are committed to educating the public about the services we provide while focusing on crime prevention to keep the residents of Suffolk County safe.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications