The sentence was handed down in Plymouth Superior Court, though prosecutors had sought a five-year jail term, District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz’s office said in a statement.

John J. Basler, 28, of Kingston, will serve his sentence at the Dukes County Jail and House of Correction in Edgartown, prosecutors said.

A suspended state trooper was sentenced Wednesday to 120 days in jail, following his conviction the day before on drunken driving and other charges for a crash that killed a mother and daughter in 2013 in Plymouth.

On Tuesday, a jury acquitted Basler of motor vehicle manslaughter and motor vehicle homicide charges but convicted him of operating under the influence of liquor, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, and carrying a firearm while intoxicated.


Basler was off duty when he was driving home from a party during the early-morning hours of Sept. 22, 2013. His vehicle crashed head-on into a car carrying Susan Macchi, 64, and her 23-year-old daughter, Juliet, both of Carver, Cruz’s office said.

Both women were killed. They had been travelling home from a Red Sox game.

Basler’s lawyer, Kevin J. Reddington, said in a phone interview that Judge Gary Nickerson “crafted a very well-thought-out sentence,” citing Basler’s acquittal on the more serious charges.

“This is an incredibly emotional case,” Reddington said. “The two people who were lost were just wonderful people. . . . My client is just a mess, as far as feeling terrible about the accident.”

During the trial, expert witnesses told jurors that Susan Macchi’s vehicle crossed the center line before colliding with Basler’s Toyota Corolla, Reddington previously told the Globe.

Cruz’s office said Wednesday that Basler’s blood alcohol level was .19 after the crash, or more than twice the legal limit.

In addition, investigators “testified that Basler was speeding at least 78 miles per hour and began to lose control of his vehicle in the stretch of dimly lit, wet, winding roadway and that he was distracted by his iPod music player,” the statement said.


Jurors also learned that Basler tossed his loaded firearm into the woods after the crash, according to prosecutors. The firearm was recovered hours later.

“It has been an emotional three years for the Macchi and Wells families,” Cruz said in the statement.

“These two women were not only mother and daughter, but the best of friends and the light of their families. All along, this case has been about remembering these women and earning justice for them. We believed Mr. Basler deserved to serve five years in jail for the choices he made on that night and we are disappointed that the court did not agree. I am hopeful that all those affected by this tragic loss are finally able to begin the healing process.”

Relatives of the Macchis could not be reached for comment on the sentence.

David Procopio, a State Police spokesman, said in an e-mail that the agency had supported the sentencing recommendation of prosecutors.

“The defendant remains suspended without pay,” Procopio wrote. “Our internal case is pending and we will address his duty status in the very near future in light of his conviction.”

Laura Crimaldi of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.