Connecticut police officer could serve 2 years for killing best friend in deadly Las Vegas DUI crash

David Charns
·2 min read
14

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) —  A Connecticut police officer, who was drunk and speeding in a rented Rolls Royce when it crashed near the Las Vegas Strip, killing his best friend and fellow officer, could serve two years in prison, per a judge’s ruling Tuesday.

Clark County District Court Judge Susan Johnson sentenced Robert Ferraro, 37, to two to five years in prison on a charge of DUI resulting in death. The charge carries a statutory minimum of two years and a maximum of 20.

Last summer, Ferraro, of East Haven, Connecticut, agreed to plead guilty.

Metro police said the New Haven police officer was drunk in the September 2021 crash. Ferraro lost control of the rented car near Decatur Boulevard and Spring Mountain Road, police said. The car rolled, killing 35-year-old officer Joshua Castellano, who was in the front passenger seat, police said. Ferraro and Castellano, partners at the police department, were on vacation along with two other officers.

<em>Ferraro lost control of this rented car near Decatur Boulevard and Spring Mountain Road. (KLAS)</em>
Ferraro lost control of this rented car near Decatur Boulevard and Spring Mountain Road. (KLAS)

“They were the Starsky and Hutch type, you know, cops that were always together,” Ferraro’s attorney, Gabriel Grasso, told the 8 News Now Investigators after his client’s arrest. “This is not a bad cop situation. This is a tragic situation where he lost his best friend, partner, brother, however you want to put it, so he’s devasted.”

The Rolls Royce collided with a car that was waiting in a private driveway to enter the road. The Rolls Royce then collided with several utility poles, trees and a fire hydrant. Police said the Rolls Royce entered the intersection “at a high rate of speed,” causing its suspension to bottom out, “sending sparks flying from the undercarriage.”

No passengers were wearing seat belts, police said. Ferraro and the four other passengers in the car all suffered minor injuries in the crash, police said.

“I’m here today through the grace of God because I believe in my heart that someone needs to be a voice for my son, Joshua,” Denise Castellano, Joshua Castellano’s mother said during the sentencing. “I cannot let Joshua’s death be a statistic.”

“I could impose the max of 20 years, but that certainly is not going to bring Josh back,” Johnson said after the sentencing.

Ferraro was allowed to return to Connecticut as his criminal case progressed. He will be eligible for parole in January 2026.

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