Suffolk County, NY – A Hauppauge man has been sentenced to 7⅓ to 22 years in state prison for an intoxicated driving crash that killed Nassau County Police Officer Patricia Espinosa as she was driving to work earlier this year.
According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Matthew Smith, 21, was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty in June to aggravated vehicular homicide and numerous related charges stemming from the January crash. As part of his plea agreement, Smith also forfeited the Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck involved in the collision.
Crash occurred as officer drove to work
Court records and Smith’s admissions during his guilty plea showed that the crash occurred at approximately 6:07 a.m. on Jan. 31 after Smith and a passenger left Jake’s 58 Casino Hotel. Prosecutors said Smith had been drinking alcohol in Patchogue before arriving at the casino.
Authorities said Smith drove his pickup truck through a red light at about 70 mph in a posted 30 mph zone before striking the vehicle driven by Officer Patricia Espinosa. She was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Smith’s passenger was also taken to the hospital with serious injuries, including pelvic and spinal fractures and a severe head laceration.
Blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit
Investigators said a chemical test determined Smith’s blood alcohol concentration was .20, more than twice New York’s legal limit. Police also recovered a bottle of Bacardi rum and a shot glass from inside the pickup truck.
“No sentence can restore what was taken from Officer Espinosa’s loved ones, but today this defendant begins paying the price for his conduct,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said in a statement. “He was intoxicated, speeding, and lawless behind the wheel of a 5,000-pound pickup truck, and a police officer on her way to serve her community paid with her life.”
Tierney added, “This office will continue to pursue accountability for impaired drivers who destroy lives on our roads.”
Multiple felony convictions
Smith pleaded guilty on June 11 before New York Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei to two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, along with vehicular manslaughter, manslaughter, aggravated vehicular assault, assault, multiple driving while intoxicated offenses, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, and related traffic violations.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Emma Richards and Laura Newcombe of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office Vehicular Crime Bureau. The investigation was led by Detective Martin Lupo of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Major Case Unit.
