Man gets 8 to 12 years in drunk driving death of a cyclist

A Dorchester man who pleaded guilty to several charges related to the hit-and-run death of a cyclist last year was sentenced to 8 to 12 years in prison Tuesday.

Gregory McCoy, 28, was speeding just after 10 p.m. on May 19, 2015, when he drove a friend’s 2012 Cadillac CTS into the back of a BMW stopped at the intersection of Norwell Street and Talbot Avenue, according to a statement from the Suffolk District Attorney’s office.

Both vehicles careened into the intersection, and a cyclist waiting to cross the street—later identified as Fritz Philogene, 18—was struck and killed.

The crash also injured the 33-year-old driver of the BMW and McCoy’s passenger, the 26-year-old Quincy man who owned the Cadillac.

Authorities said that evidence indicated McCoy got out of the Cadillac after the crash and fled on foot. Police were later able to follow a trail of blood to his Dorchester neighborhood, and arrested him at his home. A number of witnesses also later identified him as the man they saw leaving after the crash.

Medical analysis, taken the following morning at Carney Hospital, indicated that McCoy’s blood alcohol level was above the legal limit at the time of the crash, prosecutors said.

Tuesday, McCoy pleaded guilty to manslaughter while operating under the influence, leaving the scene of a collision causing death, and leaving the scene of a collision causing injury.

Prior to McCoy’s sentencing, the court heard from Christopher Graham, a friend of Philogene’s family who spoke on their behalf.

He said the family had no animosity toward McCoy, but that they felt he must be held accountable for the decisions he made and actions he took, prosecutors said.