Jaded Evidence / Interactive Investigation Case File
Trial underway · New Britain, Connecticut
First day of testimony: October 29, 2026. No verdict reported in the sources reviewed.
Sophie Ringquist / Cooper Ouellette
A fatal journey, a disputed digital reconstruction, and the evidence presented in court.
Reading this file: Police allegations, attorney arguments, reported testimony and court rulings are labeled separately. Cooper Ouellette has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
01 / Case overview & current legal status
Sophie Grace Ringquist, 17, of Burlington, died on May 21, 2023, after suffering injuries during a pickup-truck journey with Cooper Ouellette. He faces first-degree manslaughter and delivery of alcohol to a minor charges. The trial began October 29, 2026. Sources: S01 · S02 · S06
View More What is established, and what remains disputed?
Verified procedural development: Testimony has begun. Allegations: The state attributes Sophie’s fatal injuries to Ouellette’s conduct. Disputed account: The defense says she jumped from the truck. A criminal charge is an accusation; the jury has not reached a verdict in the coverage reviewed. Sources: S06 · S07
02 / Courthouse location of trial
Connecticut Superior Court · New Britain Judicial District
20 Franklin Square, New Britain, CT 06051. Trial reporting places this prosecution in New Britain; the official Judicial Branch directory confirms this courthouse address. Sources: S08 · S09
View More Court and courtroom details
Presiding judge: Chris Pelosi. A courtroom number and criminal docket number have not been independently verified for this file. Check the court’s current notices before attending. Sources: S08
03 / Prosecutors & defense attorneys
Prosecution
Christian Watson, New Britain State’s Attorney, is identified in Day 1 courtroom reporting.
Defense
Martin Minnella and Jonathan Raad, of Minnella & Tramuta, represent Cooper Ouellette.
Sources: S08
View More Representation notes
Names above are tied to the coverage reviewed. Other prosecutors or counsel are not added without a documented appearance.
04 / Victim background
Sophie Grace Ringquist was 17 and lived in Burlington. Her family’s obituary describes a student at Lewis Mills High School who had begun college coursework and hoped to study construction management. She worked alongside her father, taught children to swim, and valued time with friends. Sources: S02
View More Remembering Sophie beyond the case
Her family remembered her humor, compassion and work ethic. This biography comes from the family’s published remembrance; it is separate from the criminal evidence. Sources: S02
05 / People & documented roles
- Sophie Grace Ringquist: victim.
- Cooper Ouellette: criminal defendant; not-guilty plea.
- Lynne R., Scott R. and Jackson R.: Sophie’s mother, father and brother; Day 1 witnesses.
- Connecticut State Police: investigating agency.
- Matthew Harrington, Tyler Bastos and Robert Criscione: detectives identified in Day 1 coverage.
Sources: S01 · S06 · S07 · S08
View More How roles are identified
A witness’s appearance does not establish that every statement is accepted as fact. Family witnesses are identified with first names and initials here to reflect courtroom usage. Attorneys and the judge appear in the court sections above.
06 / Interactive event-by-event timeline
Click an event to open its details without leaving this page. Dates reflect the linked sources; no unverified minute-by-minute timestamps have been added.
View More May 20, 2023 · Party in Terryville
Police allegations
WFSB reports that witnesses described an argument and alleged physical conduct at a party before the couple left together. These are warrant allegations, subject to challenge. Sources: S01
View More May 20–21, 2023 · Journey from the party
View More May 20–21, 2023 · Return home and hospital
Reported chronology
Ouellette brought Sophie home. Her parents then took her to Bristol Hospital, where she was pronounced dead early May 21. This entry does not infer an unverified interval between injury and treatment. Sources: S01
View More July 11–12, 2024 · Warrant and surrender
Procedural history
According to WFSB, an arrest warrant was granted July 11 and Ouellette surrendered the next day. He was charged with manslaughter and the alcohol offense. Sources: S01
View More September 2024 · Separate civil claims
Civil proceedings
Sophie’s family brought a separate lawsuit. Civil allegations and defendants must not be treated as criminal convictions or as an outcome of this prosecution. Sources: S12
View More October 8, 2026 · Expert hearing
Reported pretrial testimony
A defense digital-forensics expert challenged the reliability of Life360 information and the reconstruction derived from it. Sources: S04
View More October 9, 2026 · Life360 ruling
Reported court ruling
Judge Chris Pelosi allowed prosecutors to present Life360 data. Admissibility permits consideration; it does not require the jury to accept every conclusion drawn from it. Sources: S05
View More October 29, 2026 · Testimony begins
Trial underway
Family members and police witnesses testified on Day 1. Expand the courtroom developments section for the witness-by-witness log. No verdict was reported by the end of the reviewed coverage. Sources: S07
07 / Investigation & evidence
Select a card to examine its source and limits. A reconstruction or animation is an interpretation of data; it is not a continuous recording of the incident.
Open evidence Witness testimony
Reported testimony
Family and police witnesses appeared on Day 1. Read the dated witness log below; these summaries are reporting, not certified transcript excerpts. Sources: S07
Open evidence Surveillance footage
Reported evidence
WFSB says investigators used surveillance footage in their reconstruction. A complete original surveillance recording has not been obtained for this file. Sources: S01
Open evidence Forensic findings
Reported medical evidence
WFSB reports that the medical examiner described blunt impact injuries to Sophie’s torso. Medical cause of death does not, by itself, determine a defendant’s criminal guilt. Sources: S12
Open evidence Phone records & recordings
Open evidence Life360 & reconstruction
Open evidence Court exhibits & physical items
Reported courtroom presentation
Day 1 notes describe clothing and a boot displayed through a police witness. Exhibit numbers are not supplied because no verified exhibit index was available. Sources: S07
08 / Prosecution & defense theories
View More Prosecution position
View More Defense position
View More What the jury must evaluate
The relationship between original recordings, witness accounts, medical evidence and reconstruction matters. The admissibility ruling does not resolve the disputed factual account. Sources: S05
09 / Trial testimony & courtroom developments
October 29, 2026 · Day 1
Witness accounts below are concise summaries of contemporaneous coverage. No certified transcript has been obtained.
View More Lynne R. · Mother
View More Scott R. · Father
View More Jackson R. · Brother
View More Matthew Harrington · State police detective
View More Tyler Bastos · State police detective
View More Robert Criscione · State police detective
View More Unusual circumstances & evidentiary limits
10 / Known witnesses & testimony status
Documented appearances: The six witnesses in the October 29 log above have been reported as testifying. Their roles are recorded there to avoid confusing an appearance with an anticipated witness.
View More Who is expected to testify next?
Court TV reports that defense counsel said Ouellette plans to testify. That stated intention is not testimony and could change. A complete authenticated prospective witness list has not been obtained. No unnamed witnesses are presented as confirmed. Sources: S06
11 / Verdicts, sentencing & appeals
As of October 29, 2026: Trial underway; no verdict or sentence is reported in the reviewed coverage. No post-verdict appeal is identified in those sources. Sources: S07
View More Outcome tracking
This section will distinguish a verdict, sentencing order, post-trial motion and appellate ruling when a reliable source establishes each development. The separate civil lawsuit is tracked independently. Sources: S12
12 / Unresolved questions
View More How did Sophie leave the truck, and how were the fatal injuries inflicted?
The parties offer competing accounts. The trial’s evidence must be evaluated without assuming that either account has already been proven. Sources: S06
View More What can the location data reliably establish?
View More Which original records remain unavailable in this file?
A certified trial transcript, authenticated full witness list, complete exhibit index and original digital files have not been obtained. Those gaps prevent independent reconstruction of every event; they are not evidence that an item does not exist.
13 / Court records & source documents
Use the original record where available. Reporting is labeled separately from primary documents. Source IDs below are stable within this case file; updates should add entries without renumbering existing ones.
- S01 · WFSB · July 15, 2024 · arrest and warrant reporting
Reporting based on police statements and the warrant; allegations, not findings of guilt. - S02 · Family obituary · Hartford Courant · May 28, 2023
Family remembrance; used for biographical background, not to resolve criminal liability. - S03 · CT Insider · October 6, 2026 · defense challenge
Reporting on the defense motion concerning Life360 speed, location and reconstruction. - S04 · CT Insider · October 8, 2026 · expert hearing
Pretrial expert testimony; not a jury finding. - S05 · CT Insider · October 9, 2026 · admissibility ruling
Reporting on Judge Chris Pelosi’s bench ruling permitting Life360 evidence. - S06 · Court TV · October 29, 2026 · trial opening
Courtroom reporting; attributes the parties’ competing accounts. The reported plan for defendant testimony is not confirmation that it occurred. - S07 · Courtroom Insider · October 29, 2026 · Day 1 live notes
Contemporaneous courtroom notes, updated 6:06 p.m. EDT; not a certified transcript. - S08 · Hearst Connecticut / The Hour · October 29, 2026 · Day 1 report
Courtroom reporting, updated 6:18 p.m.; identifies counsel, judge and witnesses. - S09 · Connecticut Judicial Branch · New Britain district directory · PDF
Official primary source for courthouse address and court offices. - S10 · Arrest warrant / affidavit · published document copy
Primary police/court document hosted by a publisher. WFSB links this copy. Direct retrieval was unavailable during this update; warrant allegations here are attributed to S01. - S11 · Day 1 trial broadcast · linked by CT Post
Audiovisual source linked from contemporaneous coverage. Some exhibits were not visible in the public broadcast. No invented clip timestamps are supplied. - S12 · WFSB · September 3, 2024 · separate civil lawsuit
Civil allegations and reported medical findings; separate from the criminal prosecution.
View More Records and access notes
The warrant’s published copy is linked above and embedded by WFSB; direct retrieval of the document was unavailable for this update. The official court directory is a PDF. Trial broadcasts and reporting are not substitutes for a certified transcript. No unavailable transcript or exhibit is linked as though a copy had been obtained.