Rensselaer police officer was sentenced to prison

TROY -- A former Rensselaer police officer was sentenced to prison for driving drunk and killing his childhood friend in a crash. Mark Fusco pleaded guilty to first degree vehicular manslaughter Friday afternoon.

Fusco admitted he had a blood alcohol content of .18 or greater when he crashed into a tree in East Greenbush on March 13, 2013. His passenger, Sean Murphy, 22, was killed. Fusco said he couldn’t remember why the two got in the car after taking taxis all night. Murphy’s family said early reports that they had forgotten something in a taxi and were trying to catch up were untrue. Sean’s mother, Coreen, read the only victim impact statement during sentencing. Read more...