DA: 2nd driver in fatal Cotuit crash was due in court on charges in 2015 murder

FALL RIVER, Mass. — The other driver killed in a head-on crash in Cotuit this weekend was due to appear in court Tuesday in connection to a 2015 murder, according to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office.

Mickey Rivera has been identified as the second fatality in a crash that also killed a former Marine, identified as 32-year-old Kevin Quinn, on the way home from seeing his newborn daughter in the hospital.

"It's devastating," Janet Quinn, the former Marine's mother, said. "He was a very loving son, and an awesome husband, and he was so proud to be a dad. That will be his legacy."

Barnstable Police said the head-on collision happened along Route 28 in Cotuit, near the Mashpee town line at around 12:10 a.m. Saturday morning.

Rivera, a driver in the crash, had been charged in connection to a fatal robbery in Fall River in 2015, the Bristol County DA said.

According to DA records, Rivera was one of four people involved in the robbery. Rivera was charged with armed assault to rob, attempted armed robbery, conspiracy robbery and witness intimidation.

Rivera had been held on $35,000 bail for nearly two years before his bail was reduced to $1,000 in September of 2017. That’s when Rivera posted bail and was scheduled to reappear in court Tuesday.

“I was very disappointed the court reduced the defendants bail so drastically, based on the defendant’s criminal record and the serious nature of the charges,” Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III wrote in an email sent to news outlets regarding Rivera’s record.

The DA also said Rivera was charged in connection to a stabbing in Taunton in 2015, but those charges were dismissed.

According to the GoFundMe page setup for Quinn's family, Rivera "was being pursued by police" when the crash happened.

Mashpee Police sent the following statement in response to a request for confirmation by Boston 25 News:

In the early morning hours of July 28, 2018, a tragic accident occurred in the Town of Barnstable resulting in the death of two individuals.  We are in the early stages of what is going to be a comprehensive and thorough investigation into the Mashpee Police Department’s involvement of the facts and circumstances leading up to this terrible tragedy.  Our heartfelt condolences go out to the victims and their families at this time.   

Professionally,

Scott W. Carline
Chief of Police

MORE: New father among 2 dead in head-on crash in Cotuit

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