The man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter and other charges connected to the crash that killed Hartford police detective Robert "Bobby" Garten in September 2023 will spend 16 years in prison.
Police said 20-year-old Richard Barrington was fleeing other police officers during a traffic stop when he hit the cruiser on Asylum Avenue as it was responding to a different call on the night of Sept. 6, 2023.
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WATCH HEREThe crash killed Detective Robert "Bobby" Garten and injured his partner, Det. Brian Kearney.
Barrington said he took off because he was scared that his car was not registered and he had marijuana in the vehicle, according to police. He also told investigators he smoked marijuana about an hour before the crash.
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SIGN UP Barrington pleaded guilty to manslaughter, first-degree assault and interfering with an officer.
A judge on Friday sentenced Barrington to 30 years, suspended after 16 years. He will also serve five years of probation.
The state’s attorney recommended a 20-year prison sentence, but Garten's family wanted the maximum sentence for all three charges, totaling 41 years.
“Today, I feel like a complete failure. I let my brother down. We didn’t get even close to what we were asking for,” William Garten said about the sentence. “This is what Mr. Barrington gets for killing my brother, and that’s the end of this kind of story. We’ll have to continue honoring Bobby in some other way, cause today we let him down.”
In a courtroom packed with police officers, Garten's family and friends spoke at the sentencing on Friday, including Garten's brother and mother, and told the judge about the hole left in their lives since his death.
“There will be no wedding, no mother-son dance, no grandchildren for me to hold,” said Deborah Garten, Bobby's mother. “We'll never share another laugh or give me a Bobby hug."
Garten's partner, Det. Brian Kearney, addressed the court, but said he wouldn't do so as a victim.
“Neither of us would change a thing. Would I like to trade places with Bob? Absolutely. But you hitting us meant that you didn't cross through that intersection, where the majority of traffic at that hour of the night is people going and leaving from work at Saint Francis Hospital. You hit us, thank God,” Kearney said.
Barrington, who was led into the courtroom in Garten's handcuffs, was also given the chance to speak before he was sentenced.
"I want to apologize for all the days, months, and years of pain and grief that I've caused and are currently causing," Barrington said. "No mother, father, sibling, kid, or friend should have to endure the pain and grief you are enduring."
