Man gets 16 years in prison for crash that killed Connecticut officer

Hartford, Conn. – A palpable sense of grief and frustration filled a Hartford Superior Courtroom Friday as a 20-year-old man was sentenced to 16 years in prison for the 2023 crash that claimed the life of Hartford Police Detective Robert “Bobby” Garten and seriously injured his partner.

Richard Barrington, who was 18 at the time of the incident, will also serve five years of probation for his role in the fatal collision on September 6, 2023. Barrington, who had previously pleaded guilty in April to charges of first-degree manslaughter, first-degree assault, and interfering with a police officer, stood before a courtroom packed with Garten’s family, friends, and fellow officers.

The tragic sequence of events unfolded when Barrington, driving a car with a misused license plate and in possession of marijuana, fled a traffic stop initiated by other officers. In his attempt to evade law enforcement, Barrington sped through two red lights before violently crashing into the side of the police cruiser carrying Detective Garten and his partner, Officer Brian Kearney. The officers were responding to an unrelated call and were not involved in the initial pursuit.

Detective Garten, a respected eight-year veteran of the Hartford Police Department and the son of a retired Hartford detective, was posthumously promoted to the rank of detective. He succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. Officer Kearney, who was driving the cruiser, sustained severe, life-altering injuries but survived.

During the emotional sentencing hearing, Garten’s family expressed their profound loss and dissatisfaction with the sentence. They had advocated for a much longer prison term, with William Garten, Bobby’s brother, stating that the family felt “let down” by the judicial system. “This is it, this is what Mr. Barrington gets for killing my brother?” he said to reporters outside the courthouse.

In a statement to the court, Barrington, who was brought into the courtroom in Garten’s handcuffs, apologized for his actions. “I want to apologize for all the days, months, and years of pain and grief that I’ve caused and are currently causing,” he said.

The prosecution had recommended a 20-year sentence. Barrington’s defense attorney had argued for a lesser sentence. The judge, in handing down the 16-year term, acknowledged the devastating impact of Barrington’s choices.

The case has cast a long shadow over the Hartford community and its police department, highlighting the daily dangers faced by law enforcement officers and the lasting trauma inflicted by reckless driving.