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Keoma Duarte was heading home from a concert at House of Blues when he allegedly struck and killed Endicott College Police Sgt. Jeremy Cole in 2024.

By Abby Patkin

May 20, 2026 | 11:13 AM

2 minutes to read

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The wife of an Endicott College police officer killed in a 2024 wrong-way crash has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against House of Blues Boston, alleging the venue overserved the driver charged in her husband’s death. 

Sgt. Jeremy Cole, 49, was driving home to New Hampshire shortly before midnight on Nov. 27, 2024, when a Tesla struck his SUV head-on on Interstate 95 in Newbury, prosecutors said. Cole was pronounced dead at the scene early Thanksgiving morning; the Tesla driver, Keoma Duarte, 41, of New Bedford, has since pleaded not guilty to two counts of manslaughter while operating under the influence. 

His criminal case remains pending. 

In a lawsuit filed Monday in Suffolk Superior Court, Cole’s widow alleged Duarte was “visibly intoxicated” while attending a concert earlier that night at House of Blues Boston and believed he was driving home to New Bedford. Laura Cole specifically accused the venue of “carelessly, negligently and unskillfully” serving Duarte alcoholic drinks prior to the crash that killed her husband.

Further, House of Blues “knew or should have known” that Duarte had arrived at the concert in a car and would be driving home afterward, Cole argued. 

Duarte “exhibited slurred speech and glossy, bloodshot eyes” following the crash, and an alcoholic smell drifted from his vehicle, according to the complaint, which also names House of Blues parent company Live Nation Entertainment. Live Nation did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. 

Inside Duarte’s car, authorities purportedly found multiple unopened miniature bottles of alcohol and a receipt from a cannabis shop, according to the lawsuit. His blood alcohol level at Massachusetts General Hospital following the crash was allegedly around 0.19 — more than twice the legal limit for driving. 

Laura Cole is asking for more than $50 million in damages, bringing claims of wrongful death, conscious pain and suffering, and loss of consortium, society, support, and guidance. She is also seeking punitive damages. 

Affectionately known as “J. Cole” on Endicott’s campus, Jeremy Cole “exemplified the highest standards of public service,” the college said in 2024. 

“J. Cole was the consummate student-focused representative of the Endicott community,” then-President Steven R. DiSalvo said at the time. “He was loved and respected by all at the Nest.”

In his obituary, Cole’s family remembered the father of four as a “beloved presence” who was “always ready with a joke, a witty comeback, or heartfelt support.”

“Jeremy’s passing leaves a profound void in the lives of all who knew and loved him,” the obituary states. “His legacy of kindness, humor, and dedication will live on in the hearts of everyone he touched. He will be deeply missed but never forgotten.”