Carol M. Belli pleaded not guilty to newly filed negligent homicide charges in connection with the March 9, 2019 deaths of pedestrians Joanna and Seth Wakeman when she stood before a judge Wednesday in New London Superior Court.

Given a new court date of Dec. 3, the 73-year-old retired elementary school teacher and principal left court with a group of people who accompanied her.

Belli's criminal case has been on the docket 10 times already at the Georgraphical Area 10 court on Broad Street, and she is named in a civil wrongful death lawsuit filed last month at the New London Judicial Court on Huntington Street.

Stonington police say she was driving her Ford Fusion on Route 27 when she struck and killed the Wakemans, a beloved elderly couple from Mystic, as they attempted to cross the road near Rossi Pentway. Police allege she failed field sobriety tests at the scene, and said they charged her immediately with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, even though her blood alcohol level was below the legal limit of 0.08 percent for driving.

Police lodged the negligent homicide charges, which are misdemeanor offenses, earlier this month following a lengthy investigation that concluded Belli and the Wakemans were both at fault for the tragic incident.

In Belli's case, she consumed alcohol while taking an antidepressant and was driving an estimated seven to 14 miles above the posted 30 mph speed limit, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. Belli had gone to the Captain Daniel Packer Inne that evening with a female friend from Waterford and admitted to consuming two drinks.

Her blood alcohol level, taken by Breathalyzer one hour and 19 minutes after the 8:07 p.m. incident, was 0.0686 percent.

The Wakemans had dined at Latitude 41 restaurant and also consumed at least two drinks each, according to witnesses. The investigation revealed that the Wakemans, both dressed in dark clothing, and their dining companions walking in front of them, had not pressed the pedestrian crossing signal and had walked onto the roadway slightly outside of the crosswalk while the traffic light for vehicles was green.

Autopsy results indicated they also had detectable blood alcohol levels: Seth Wakeman's was 0.03 percent and Joanna's was 0.09 percent.

Belli, who is free on a $25,000 bond, has been unable to drive while her case is pending, and has been subject to other conditions set by the court, including that she undergo substance abuse counseling from a licensed practitioner. Judge Hunchu Kwak ordered Belli to provide proof that the therapist she's seeing is licensed, and said he has some problems with the letters the therapist has submitted to the court thus far, which have all said "exactly the same thing."

Also attending the criminal court appearance was attorney John J. Nazzaro of the Reardon Law Firm, which is representing the Wakeman estate in the civil lawsuit. Nazzaro asked the judge to order that Belli's car, which is impounded by the Stonington police, not be released until his firm and its experts have had the chance to conduct an inspection.

Kwak said he didn't think Nazzaro, a civil attorney, had standing to make such a request in the criminal case, but that the car would not be released as long as the criminal case is pending.

Nazzaro said later by phone that the discovery process is underway in the civil case, noting his firm will not be able to depose Belli while her criminal charges are pending. He said he has not reviewed the Stonington police investigation in its entirety and is still waiting for additional information.

The civil wrongful death lawsuit names the Affinity Insurance Company, Captain Daniel Packer Inne, Ltd., permittee Lucille J. Kiley and Belli.

Nazzaro said he wants to see how the Southeastern Regional traffic unit determined the speed at which Belli was driving.

"We disovered she was moving at a high speed," said Nazzaro. "The area we believe was well lit, and the individuals, there were four of them, were visible and should have been visible to any motorist. There's a clear line of sight, the headlights were working, the roads were dry, and this was truly an avoidable accident, at least to a sober person."

k.florin@theday.com