'It looked like a bomb went off': Witnesses testify in Sweet Tomatoes trial

WOBURN, Mass. — The trial has resumed for the driver accused of causing a deadly crash at a crowded Newton pizza shop.

Brad Casler is accused of causing the crash at a Sweet Tomatoes restaurant that killed two people and injured several others. Investigators say he was speeding back in March 2016, when he plowed into the front the restaurant, killing Gregory Morin and Eleanor Miele. Several others were seriously injured.

>> Testimony begins in deadly Newton pizza shop crash

Though she only spoke briefly on the stand, Greg Morin's widow's testimony Friday was powerful as she shared with jurors the final conversation she would ever have with her husband.

"We took the train into work together and that's when I saw him last. I said I would pick up our daughter and he said he was gonna grab dinner," said Morin.

But in that five-minute walk from the Morin's Newton home to Sweet Tomatoes ended in tragedy.

A man who stopped to help after the crash was the first person to testify at the trial. Jesse Miller said he was driving when he saw a car driving at a "high rate" crash into Sweet Tomatoes.

The second witness of day two of the trial was Caleb Butler, who was standing at the intersection and saw Casler in the driver's seat prior to the crash. Butler told the jury Casler was sitting upright with his hands on the wheel until the moment police asked him to get out of the SUV.

"He stated the car had accelerated on its own. He asked if he could get his groceries out of the vehicle," said Newton Police officer Meghan McLean.

Prosecutors say Casler was driving too fast when he hit the restaurant, but Casler's defense team said this was a terrible tragedy caused by a medical emergency - likely related to his multiple sclerosis.

In all, jurors heard from a dozen witnesses Friday, most of whom the defense chose not to cross-examine. Day three of testimony will resume on Monday.

Follow Boston 25 News reporter Kathryn Burcham on Twitter for live updates:

Cox Media Group