ALBANY, N.Y. — Crime Victims' Rights Week in Albany was marked by the county's annual "Ceremony of Remembrance," held at the sheriff's office on Thursday.
During the ceremony, Bruce McLaughlin was honored with a lifetime achievement award. The State Police veteran worked on more than 500 crash reconstructions during his career, leading to charges and convictions in dozens of criminal cases.
McLaughlin's final crash reconstruction came at the end of his career; he delayed his retirement to work on the 2014 Tyler Pascuzzi crash and subsequent investigation. Two people died in the violent Thruway collision in Guilderland.
Nearly three years later on Wednesday, after being convicted at a trial in which McLaughlin testified, Tyler Pascuzzi was sentenced to prison for manslaughter and aggravated vehicular homicide. McLaughlin declined interviews on Thursday, but assistant district attorney Mary Tanner-Richter said his work on the Pascuzzi case was worthy of the highest praise.
"I don't know if we would have gotten the same result without Bruce," Tanner-Richter said. "He took his time, he didn't rush and he got it right."
McLaughlin is now retired from the State Police, a move Tanner-Richter said was well-deserved, but also "a big loss" for prosecutors across the state.