An NYPD highway officer has died after being hit by an alleged drunken driver as he investigated a crash scene on the Long Island Expressway early Tuesday, officials say. NBC New York’s John Chandler reports.
What to Know
- The woman who was allegedly driving drunk when she struck and killed an NYPD officer on the Long Island Expressway was found guilty of manslaughter.
- Jessica Beauvais did not have much of a reaction in a Hempstead court as the verdict was announced Tuesday afternoon, with the jury finding the 34-year-old guilty for the early morning crash in April 2021 that killed Officer Anastasios Tsakos
- Beauvais previously admitted that she had been drinking and smoking marijuana before she got into her car earlier that morning of the highway crash.
The woman who was allegedly driving drunk when she struck and killed an NYPD officer on the Long Island Expressway was found guilty of manslaughter.
Jessica Beauvais did not have much of a reaction in a Hempstead court as the verdict was announced Tuesday afternoon, with the jury finding the 34-year-old guilty for the early morning crash in April 2021 that killed Officer Anastasios Tsakos. The widow of Tsakos loudly gasped and became emotional after the verdict was read.
Beauvais previously admitted that she had been drinking and smoking marijuana before she got into her car earlier that morning of the highway crash.
Tsakos, a 14-year veteran of the police department and a father of two, and his partner were on Long Island Expressway as they responded to a deadly crash near Francis Lewis Boulevard. The two set up a roadblock to help investigators process the scene.
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Prosecutors previously said Beauvais was so drunk and high that she completely missed the flashing lights and drove straight into Tsakos. Police said her blood alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit after she tried to flee the scene of the incident.
News
At the time of the crash, Beauvais' driver's license was apparently suspended for failure to pay a Driver Responsibility Assessment in relation to a speeding conviction, according to police. Prosecutors with the Queens DA's office said that prior to the crash, Beauvais had been on a Facebook livestream, downing shots of vodka on camera. They also told the jury that when Beauvais attempted to run from police, she put her car in reverse and rammed into a police squad car.
A paramedic who treated Tsakos at the scene described the severe injuries he suffered, including an amputated leg and cuts to his face.
"She struck him with such speed, such power, such force that his body smashed into the hood of her car," said Gregory Lasak, of the district attorney's office, earlier in October. "She left him there on the side of the road to die without his leg."
Beauvais' defense team had argued that Taskos was not wearing a reflective jacket and wasn't paying attention to oncoming traffic. During the trial, attorney Jorge Santos said the officer "was text messaging or was on his phone. Regrettably, that’s what he was doing and he was looking down."
But the jury did not buy that argument, finding her guilty of second-degree aggravated manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident.
At her indictment in 2021, Beauvais made a tearful apology for the crash that took Tsakos' life. In addition to his wife, Tsakos left behind a 6-year-old daughter and a 3-year-old son, officials said.
"I’m sorry that I hit him and that he’s dead," she said at the time.
In September, Beauvais rejected a plea deal that would have sentenced her to 16 years in prison. After being found guilty, she now faces up to 20 years in prison.
