CONCORD — A bill named after a Litchfield woman who died in Derry was heard at the Statehouse Friday. If it passes, it could make it possible for town and county officials to ask State Police to conduct independent investigations.
The House Criminal Justice and Public Safety committee met to hear testimony on House Bill 1566, which, if passed into law, would be called Katina’s Law. The full House is expected to vote on the bill in at least two weeks, but definitely by the end of the month.
The bill was inspired by the investigation into the accident that caused the death of Adam Platania, 21, of Derry, and his passenger and girlfriend, Katina Skotis, 20, of Litchfield.
The couple was involved in a motorcycle versus car crash in April 2023. Platania was pronounced dead at the scene and Skotis was taken to Elliot Hospital in Manchester where she later died from her injuries.
During the investigation, police reports listed the driver, 76-year-old Joanna Taylor of Derry, as having failed to yield at a stop sign.
In a later statement, Derry police said that investigations by both the Derry and Manchester police departments found that speeding by the motorcyclist “was a substantial cause of the collision.”
The Rockingham County Attorney’s office determined that there was insufficient evidence “to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the driver of the motor vehicle acted in a manner that rose to the level of criminal negligence,” the statement said.
Derry Police and the Rockingham County Attorney in August 2023 announced that they would not bring any charges against the woman.
The investigation into the crash came under scrutiny, and ultimately MaryAnne Savani-Skotis, Katina’s mother, raised her concerns to her local representative, Ralph Boehm (R).
She has been vocal about her belief that the driver should have been charged with something.
“I still wake up several times a night horrified that NOT EVEN A TICKET was given to the woman for failing to yield at a stop sign,” Savani-Skotis wrote on her Facebook page.
If passed, the law would allow for the government running the town or city, the county attorney, or county sheriff to request an independent investigation of a situation. Boehm made sure to state that this wouldn’t be an investigation into the department or the handling of the case.
“With all the pressure going on against police departments, this would’ve been the right thing to do at the time,” Boehm said during the hearing “[Katina’s Law] would put another set of eyes on it in the future.”
“If somebody’s against another set of eyes looking at it, then they’re hiding something,” said Boehm. “[The State Police investigation] may be a validation or invalidation. That’s why my bill says ‘a separate investigation with a separate conclusion.’”
Savani-Skotis said, during the hearing, that she had experienced every mothers worst nightmare, and had only wanted to get an update on the investigation when it first started. She had to fight to get a report of the accident and a copy of the interview video.
Since then, Savani-Skotis said it’s been a never ending cycle of being told to contact Derry Police, then Derry’s Town Administrator, then the Department of Justice, which has told her to go back and contact Derry Police again.
Katina’s Law would put an end to running in circles, Savani-Skotis said.
“If, God forbid, someone needs [the law], I hope they won’t go through all of this,” Savani-Skotis said after the public hearing ended. “We weren’t allowed to mourn my daughter. We had to fight and fight. It was the worst moment of our lives.”
If Katina’s Law does pass, it couldn’t be applied retroactively. Even so, Savani-Skotis said it would give her hope to see it be her daughter’s legacy, and she said it would keep families from suffering the same way hers has.
If there is a family going through a situation similar to this, Savani-Skotis said those people should continue fighting for answers.
“Don’t give up, scream it from the sidelines,” Savani-Skotis said. “If you can’t find the truth, keep going. I’ll keep doing this until the truth gets out.”