'Two peas in a pod': Young couple remembered as bail increased for alleged drunk driver

WORCESTER — Jasmine Colon-Randolph and Nikolas Guzman were a young couple, always together, looking toward the future.

“Two peas in a pod,” Steven Girouard, Colon-Randolph's father, said outside Superior Court Thursday, minutes after a Worcester man, Juan Medina, was arraigned on seven charges for allegedly causing a Feb. 26, 2023, car crash in Winchendon that killed the couple.

Among the charges is drunken driving. Medina was allegedly in the wrong lane.

At the time of the crash, which happened shortly before 6 a.m., the 23 year olds were on their way to Wendy’s restaurant, where they both worked.

Wearing T-shirts stamped with calls for justice, family members Thursday reminisced about the couple, for whom the word “together” came up again and again.

“(Guzman) was always on his games when he wasn't at work,” said Krystal Landry, Guzman’s sister. “He was even on his games when he was with his girlfriend. They'd be playing the same game together.”

Prosecutors said that at the time of the crash, the couple were in a car headed southbound on Green Street in Gardner. Also known as Route 140, the major roadway connects Winchendon to Gardner.

Medina, now 47, was traveling northbound on the same road, allegedly texting that he was “lit” to a woman he was on his way to meet in Gardner, according to a prosecutor.

Assistant District Attorney Louis Tosches alleged in court that medical records showed that at the time of the crash Medina had a blood alcohol level of 0.17, more than double the legal limit, and was allegedly driving 63 mph in a 45 mph zone.

Tosches alleged that Medina had driven in the wrong lane for about 300 feet, coming face-to-face with the young couple's car before a collision.

“He was interviewed a couple days after the crash,” said Tosches. “He indicated to police that he had been drinking at a friend's house until 1 or 2 a.m.

“He had never gone to sleep that night.”

With his arms coming together to the front of his body where his hands rested in handcuffs, Medina slumped his head to the side as he faintly pleaded “not guilty” to seven charges, among them two counts of manslaughter by motor vehicle and one count of drunken driving.

Medina faces up to 20 years in prison, a sentence stemming from the manslaughter charges — the most severe out of the seven.

After the arraignment Thursday, Girouard took a deep breath before reacting to the charges.

“There's really nothing that could give you (consolation) other than one ultimate ending of it,” said Girouard. “However, in the realistic form of the country that we live in, max penalty.”

The 41 year old remembered his daughter as being “a kind person” as he clearly held back his emotions, reminiscing about her teenage years and her love for their dog, Tex.

“I'm technically the stepfather but I raised her,” said Girouard. “The year before this all happened, on Christmas she handed me adoption papers and asked me to adopt her.”

Kim DeStasi, Guzman’s mother, let out tears as she remembered her son, describing him as a hard-working person, always spending time with his girlfriend and family.

“I lost a big part of my light,” said DeStasi, 53. “He was like my sunshine.

“My world's been very dark since Feb. 26. It’s been a real struggle. It’s been really hard to get through almost on a daily basis.”

Since the accident, Medina has been held on bail, which was increased Thursday to $100,000 from $30,000.

The hike came despite defense attorney Robert Iacovelli’s request to the court to keep the bail unchanged. Iacovelli added that his client “was working at the time and wants to work again.”

Judge Karin Bell accepted the prosecution’s suggestion, increasing bail, citing Medina’s previous criminal history, which included four instances in which Medina had defaults — failing to appear in court — and previously serving five to seven years in state prison for gun ammunition and drug charges.

Bell added that if Medina posts bail, he would be confined to his home with a GPS tracker, he would be required to stay alcohol free and to be tested four times a day. He would also be ordered to stay away from the victims’ family, would be forbidden from driving and would have to give up his passport.

Medina is due to appear again in superior court Feb. 27.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester man who allegedly caused Gardner crash that killed couple arraigned