ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP — A Parsippany-Troy Hills man has been convicted of first-degree Aggravated Manslaughter and second-degree Vehicular Homicide following a fatal wrong-way crash on Route 80 that claimed the life of a Pennsylvania man in February 2025.
A Morris County jury returned its verdicts on July 22, following a five-day trial before the Honorable Ralph E. Amirata, J.S.C. The defendant, Victor Peters, 46, of Parsippany-Troy Hills, will remain in custody until his sentencing hearing, scheduled for September 11, 2026.
At sentencing, both convictions are subject to the No Early Release Act, making Peters ineligible for parole until he has served 85% of his sentence.
On February 2, 2025, at approximately 2:33 a.m., law enforcement responded to a motor vehicle crash on Route 80 West in Rockaway Township. Investigators determined that a Mercedes SUV driven by Peters had been traveling east in the westbound lanes when it struck a 2024 Ford pickup truck traveling west.
The driver of the Ford pickup truck, Destinn McKnight, 31, of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, was pronounced dead at the scene. He was the sole occupant of the vehicle. Peters, who was also alone in his SUV, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to Morristown Medical Center. Peters exhibited signs of being under the influence at the scene.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Alyssa DiSturco and Assistant Prosecutor Alexander Bennett. Prosecutor Robert Carroll thanked the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the New Jersey State Police for their work in the investigation.
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