PLYMOUTH – “Fake crutch!” called out a male voice from the back of the Superior Court courtroom as Justin Kilburn, 29, of Kingston, entered alone, assisted by a crutch under one arm at the Plymouth Trial Court Friday, Oct. 19. Kilburn has been indicted on vehicular manslaughter and several other charges, including OUI, in a deadly head-on collision on County Road (Route 106) in Plympton last May that police reports say killed Diane Giordani, 52, of Plympton.
About 10 family and friends of Giordani, including her husband and sister, were visibly and audibly upset during and after the status hearing, which has been delayed three times this past summer by court-appointed attorney Jack Atwood, a Plymouth-based defense lawyer, for reasons including a vacation and being stuck in traffic.
There was a heavy security presence–eight court officers–in the room during the extremely brief hearing. Lawyers took less than three minutes to exchange paperwork and conference with the judge. It seemed over before it had even started.
The case, labeled as “most complex” by the clerk’s office, is expected to take many months to work its way through the system, according to assistant district attorney Russell Eonas, who spoke in the hallway outside the Superior Court with family members and friends of Giordani.
The family and friends surrounded Eonas and peppered him with questions. Eonas took about 30 minutes to answer their individual concerns and explained the process going forward and various theories of prosecution. By the end of the conversation, emotions had subsided, and the group was calmly talking about the Red Sox game the previous night.
When asked if the explanations by the ADA had assuaged their concerns, Giordani’s sister said, “Russ is great,” as other family and friends nodded in agreement.
Michael Giordani, Diane’s husband, is especially upset that speed limits, currently a very controversial subject in Plympton, are being raised by MassDOT, including, he says, directly in front of the accident site, because signage around town is being replaced for free by the state.
He added, “I drive by [the crash site] every day on my way to work, and I cry every day…keep writing about it.”