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Man who rear-ended taxi, killing passenger, gets prison time

FALL RIVER, Mass. — A Boston man who had been bar hopping on St. Patrick's Day two years ago before he drove into the rear of a taxi at more than 120 mph, killing the passenger, has been sentenced to up to eight years in prison.

Prosecutors say 43-year-old Michael Spinale was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to motor vehicle homicide while drunk and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Police say Spinale rammed the rear of the taxi on Interstate 195 in Attleboro at about 1 a.m. March 18, 2017. The passenger, 39-year-old Kailash Bolar, of Warwick, Rhode Island, who was getting a ride home from the airport, was killed.

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The accident reconstruction found that Spinale was driving as fast as 127 mph (204 kph), while the taxi was going 66 mph (106 kph).