The trial of Cooper Ouellette, a 21-year-old Harwinton man charged in the 2023 death of his 17-year-old girlfriend, Sophie Ringquist, began Thursday in New Britain Superior Court. Ouellette has pleaded not guilty to first-degree manslaughter and delivery of alcohol to a minor. A central question for jurors is how much the digital evidence from the couple’s phones can establish about what happened.
The case is expected to last about two weeks and is being livestreamed by Court TV. Before trial, Judge Chris Pelosi allowed prosecutors to present Life360 location records after the defense challenged their reliability, CT Insider reported. That ruling allows the evidence to be considered; it does not determine what weight jurors should give it.
The evidence dispute—and what remains uncertain
According to the warrant affidavit as described in CT Insider and Yahoo News, the couple argued at a party in Terryville on May 20, 2023, then left in Ouellette’s truck. Investigators say phone data indicated erratic driving and hard braking. The affidavit also describes messages and video recorded by Ringquist during the trip, and alleges that Ouellette accelerated as she tried to get out at a stop on Locust Road.
Investigators allege Ringquist was later struck on Fieldview Drive and that Ouellette brought her to her home. The affidavit describes surveillance video showing him moving her before seeking help. Ouellette gave investigators a different account, saying he could not stop before she jumped from the truck and that she seemed fine before becoming unresponsive, according to the affidavit. State police said they could not determine exactly how she became separated from the vehicle. Ringquist died at 12:51 a.m. on May 21; an autopsy found blunt impact injuries to her torso, NBC Connecticut reported.
The defense has pointed to an 11-minute gap in the Life360 records and a data point that appeared to show a phone moving backward at more than 250 mph. CT Insider reported that Life360 does not recommend using that figure to establish speed or location; prosecutors, in turn, cited a test-drive analysis in arguing the records were reliable. Life360’s own general support guidance says accuracy can depend on a phone’s connection, signal and settings. It does not evaluate the phones or records in this case, and does not settle whether the location history can reliably reconstruct the drive.
Statewide figures offer context, not an explanation
Connecticut Department of Transportation data provide a broader, limited point of comparison: from 2020 through 2023, the state recorded 106 fatal crashes involving drivers ages 15 to 19, with more than 38% occurring between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Those statewide figures describe teen-driver crashes; they do not establish the cause of Ringquist’s death or resolve the disputed evidence in Ouellette’s trial. The jury’s task remains to weigh the evidence in this case, including what the phone records can—and cannot—show.
