SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — A West Springfield man pleaded guilty Tuesday in a 2025 crash on Interstate 91 that killed three construction workers repairing a guardrail, the Hampden District Attorney's Office said.

Bilal Griffith, 30, pleaded guilty in Superior Court to three counts of manslaughter while operating under the influence, three counts of leaving the scene of a crash causing death and one count of driving without a license. A judge accepted the plea. Griffith will receive 15 to 17 years in state prison, with an eight-to-10-year term on the leaving-the-scene charges to run at the same time, prosecutors said. Formal sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 20.

On March 28, 2025, a crew from Premier Fence was repairing a guardrail on the Exit 10A off-ramp of I-91 North in West Springfield when Griffith, driving a Jeep Cherokee, sped into the work zone and struck Ryan Almeida, Raul Bohorquez and Igor Costa, according to prosecutors. All three men died at the scene.

Griffith got out of the Jeep and ran off, prosecutors said. He was arrested after a five-hour search and later admitted to detectives that he had been intoxicated while driving, according to the district attorney's office.

On Aug. 27, Griffith asked for a hearing at which a judge would indicate what sentence he would receive if he pleaded guilty before trial. Prosecutors sought 45 to 51 years, made up of consecutive 15-to-17-year terms on each manslaughter count. The defense asked for five to six years. Members of the victims' families read impact statements at the hearing.

The judge recommended 15 to 17 years, with all counts to run concurrently, and Griffith accepted that sentence, prosecutors said.

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