Conrail Engineer Pleads Guilty in Amtrak Deaths

A Conrail engineer accused of smoking marijuana just before pulling in front of an Amtrak train pleaded guilty today to manslaughter in the bloodiest wreck in Amtrak’s history.

In a plea bargain arrangement that dropped 15 counts of manslaughter, Ricky Gates pleaded guilty to one consolidated count of manslaughter, naming all 16 people killed in the accident.

Gates, wearing a gray, pinstripe suit, was stiff and emotionless during the court proceedings, while lawyers discussed the plea bargain and charges.

Judge Joseph Murphy accepted the plea bargain agreement. Gates will remain free under a pretrial release program until his sentencing, scheduled for March 29.

If convicted on all 16 counts, Gates could have received an 80-year prison sentence and a $16,000 fine. Under today’s plea, Gates faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $1,000 fine.

The court was packed with relatives of victims who were quiet while prosecutors read from a 48-page statement that described the events surrounding last year’s accident.

Roger Horn, a mathematics professor at Johns Hopkins University, whose daughter Ceres, 16, was killed in the accident while traveling back to Princeton after a Christmas break, said today’s plea was “exactly what we expected.”

“I don’t think anyone would disagree that the liability Mr. Gates faces is greatly disproportionate to the tragedy he’s caused,” Horn said. “Lives have been shattered, families have been broken apart and this is just the beginning. Now come the lawsuits.

“My daughter did not pass away, she was murdered. . . . She was murdered because two guys who abused drugs rated their own pleasure over the safety of the passengers. Today’s trial is just an extension of the tragedy. There’s no going back. It’s turned our lives upside down,” Horn said.

Gates, 33, was accused of ignoring trackside stop signals Jan. 4, 1987, and driving his three-locomotive train through an intersection and into the path of a 14-car Boston-bound Amtrak train carrying 800 passengers.

Gates, the engineer of Conrail No. 5044, tested positive for marijuana in toxicology tests administered after the accident, which claimed 16 lives and injured more than 174 people.