A Medway man has pleaded guilty to charges connected to a fatal crash four years ago in Bellingham that killed a 17-year-old Mendon girl.
As part of a plea deal in Worcester Superior Court, Christopher Millien, 30, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, Aug. 27, to motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation; reckless endangerment of a child; and providing alcohol to a person younger than 21.
As part of the agreement, charges of manslaughter and driving to endanger were dismissed.
Millien was driving at 1:15 a.m. on June 30, 2021, on Granite Street in Bellingham, when authorities said he lost control of his car, drove off the road and crashed into a tree.
Earlier: One killed, one injured in fatal Bellingham crash
Jenna Giardini, who had just graduated from Nipmuc Regional High School in Upton, was a passenger in the vehicle and was declared dead at the scene. Millien was transported to UMass-Memorial Medical Center in Worcester to be treated for the injuries he suffered.
Sentenced to 30 months at Worcester County House of Correction
On Wednesday, Judge Karin Bell sentenced Millien to two years and six months in the Worcester County House of Correction in West Boylston, with two years to serve. The remaining six months will be suspended during his three years of probation, which starts after he is released.
As part of his probation, Millien is not allowed to leave the state without permission from the Probation Department and must perform 100 hours of community service. Bell also banned Millien from driving for 15 years.
The Worcester District Attorney’s Office said Millien was driving twice the legal speed limit at the time of the crash.
Jenna Giardini’s mom: ‘Sentence is not nearly long enough’
Tami Giardini, Jenna’s mother, said the sentence was too short, but the family felt it was best to agree to the plea deal so as not to sit through a trial.
“The sentence is not nearly long enough,” she said. “I feel like I go back and forth between this. I feel any sentence given to him would never be enough, but to not put my family through trial and listen to hear things we didn’t need to hear, this was the best decision.”
Jenna Giardini was a 2021 graduate of Nipmuc Regional High School.
Tami Giardini said her daughter was captain of the Nipmuc cheer squad and was known for being friendly to everyone.
“She was the most compassionate, kind-hearted, empathetic person,” Tami Giardini said. “She used to give everyone second, third, fourth chances. After she died, we had a lot of people come forward that we didn’t know who told us how much she affected their lives.”
‘She was just looking for a safe ride home’
Tami Giardini said her daughter was really into cars. Prior to the fatal crash, she had gone to a car event and Millien was driving her home.
“This was someone she knew through a car group,” she said. “He was giving her a ride home — that’s all, she was just looking for a safe ride home.”
Both Tami and Jenna’s father, John Giardini, said Millien never showed remorse or apologized for killing their daughter, even after pleading guilty.
“At the end, in the courtroom, it was all about him,” John Giardini said. “He never mentioned our daughter.”
Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerJournalist.
This article originally appeared on The Milford Daily News: Medway man pleads guilty in crash that killed Mendon’s Jenna Giardini