Man Charged for Fatal DWI Accident

MINNETONKA, Minn. - A Minnetonka man has been charged with causing a fatal accident while under the influence of alcohol last June.

Stuart Douglas Larson, 46, is charged with three counts of criminal vehicular homicide for rear-ending Shelly MacGillivray on her motorcycle.

Investigators have known what happened since the very beginning, and even arrested Larson for the crime last June, but it took nine long months to build a case strong enough to prove the deadly chain of events in court.

According to the criminal complaint, MacGillivray was riding her motorcycle home from visiting her sister in Lindstrom one night last June when she was rear-ended by a pickup truck near Highway 7 and Highway 101 in Minnetonka.

The impact sent MacGillivray and her motorcycle 66 feet before separating. The Twin Cities court reporter was then hit by three other drivers who didn't know the object in the middle of the road was a human body.

MacGillivray was found in the westbound lane of Highway 7 near Saddlewood Road in Minnetonka. Officers found her heavily damaged motorcycle in the ditch just north of the body.

Police said the pickup driver didn’t stop after the crash, but his engine was leaking antifreeze
Investigators followed a fluid trail from the scene of the crash several blocks to the 19000 block of Kingswood Terrace in Minnetonka, where a damaged pickup was parked outside, with Larson sleeping in a basement bedroom.

Officers arrested Larson and administered a breathalyzer test, which registered a .139. Blood tests later revealed Larson's blood alcohol level was .15 -- almost twice the legal limit to drive -- and that was hours after the crash.

Larson said he didn't remember getting into a crash while driving home, but said it was possible he was involved in an accident. Larson claimed he didn't drink any alcohol between the time of driving and arriving at the home.

"I don't know that he made a full fledged admission to it. He made some statements that were kind of skirtish about the issue and spoke about maybe being involved but nothing more but nothing more direct than that," Matt Langer, of the Minnesota State Patrol, said.

Stuart Larson was convicted of drunk driving ten years ago, and he's been arrested for driving with a suspended license since this latest incident. His first court appearance is scheduled for Thursday. If convicted, Larson could face up to 30 years in prison.

A cross now stands on the spot along Highway 7 where Shelly MacGillivray lost her life.