Donald Jessamine is accused of drinking before the 2012 crash that killed a woman.
After many delays, the case of a fatal 2012 boat crash on the Delaware River is scheduled to go to trial this week.
Donald Jessamine, of Phillipsburg, is charged with second-degree vehicular homicide and first-degree aggravated manslaughter. A 57-year-old woman died in the crash.
Here is a primer on the case.
Donald Jessamine appears in court in 2012. He is accused of drunkenly crashing a boat into rocks on the Delaware River. A passenger, 57-year-old Lane Alden, was killed. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo) 1. What allegedly happened?
Jessamine is accused of drunkenly driving a jet boat June 23, 2012, into boulders in the Delaware River in Harmony Township, sending him and his passengers, Lane Alden and Jerry Robbins, into the water. The two men made it to shore. Alden's body was recovered in Williams Township five days later. She died of blunt force trauma.
In 2014, Jessamine turned down a plea offer that called for six years in prison. He faces up to 30 years, if convicted.
2. Why the delay?
A number of scheduled trial dates have come and gone, sometimes the result of other cases taking precedence. The court will often give priority to defendants who are incarcerated; Jessamine is not.
For instance, last fall Jessamine's attorney, Michael Priarone, defended another client in a Phillipsburg homicide case while Jessamine's trial was rescheduled.
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Priarone has also challenged the state's case over the years. The court has been asked at least twice to dismiss results of Jessamine's sobriety tests -- Priarone has argued they are unreliable because they were administered hours after the crash. A Superior Court judge in 2014 denied a motion from Priarone to dismiss the breath test on the grounds that police arrested his client and administered the test without probable cause.
The breath test administered about four hours after the accident showed Jessamine's blood-alcohol content was .09 percent, according to court records.
Priarone did not return calls for comment about the pending trial.
3. What happens now?
Both sides are to hash out some final pre-trial matters on Monday, according to Warren County Prosecutor Richard Burke. Assuming no more issues arise, jury selection should begin Tuesday.
The prosecutor has previously estimated the trial will last about two weeks.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.