The Marshfield man accused of driving drunk and striking another vehicle, killing a 13-year-old girl inside and injuring two others, in Pembroke in December is now facing a murder charge.

Gregory Goodsell, 31, is being charged with second-degree murder after a Plymouth County Grand Jury handed down an indictment on Friday. He’s also facing charges of motor vehicle homicide while operating under the influence, motor vehicle manslaughter while operating under the influence, leaving the scene of property damage, and two counts of operating under the influence causing serious injury related to the Dec. 29 fatal crash, a news release from the Plymouth County District Attorney says. Goodsell’s arraignment hasn’t been set yet.


Goodsell, who has a record of driving offenses and was working for Hi-Way Safety Systems Inc., was reportedly at a holiday party at the home of the company’s owners when he left around 6:40 a.m. in a pickup truck owned by the company. He was allegedly drunk and high on cocaine when he ran a red light and crashed into the Subaru Elizabeth Zisserson was driving around 6:50 a.m. Authorities allegedly found a bottle of whiskey and a beer can in the truck Goodsell was driving.

Thirteen-year-old Claire Zisserson and her friend, Kendall Zemotel, also 13, were in the back seat of the Subaru at the time. Both were taken to Boston Children’s Hospital, where Zisserson later died. Zemotel and Elizabeth Zisserson continue to recover.

Since the crash, both Claire Zisserson’s parents and Zemotel’s parents have filed lawsuits against Goodsell, Hi-Way Safety, and its owners.

Two other men who worked for Hi-Way Safety were also arrested in the hours after the party, and a third worker died after authorities found him unresponsive in a hotel room.