An alleged drunk driver was arraigned on multiple charges for a high-speed crash that killed a Long Island couple inside a Ferrari, the district attorney said.
Sotirios Spanos was indicted on a slew of charges Tuesday, including aggravated vehicular homicide, manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter, assault, driving while intoxicated and reckless driving for the crash that occurred shortly after midnight on Aug. 12, Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said. If convicted of the charged, Spanos faces up to 25 years in prison.
The 33-year-old Spanos was heading east on Northern Boulevard near Moores Hill Road in the village of Laurel Hollow, according to police, when the Acura MDX he was driving crossed over into oncoming traffic and plowed head-on into the luxury sports car with husband and wife Odalis and Ismenia Urena inside.
A data recorder inside Spanos' Acura stated that he was driving about 100 mph just a couple seconds before the crash, according to the district attorney's office. He didn't hit the brakes until less than two seconds before hitting the couple's 2013 convertible at about 84 mph, the DA's office said, hitting the front-passenger side before driving over the vehicle.
Ismenia Urena was pronounced dead at the scene. Odalis Urena was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead about an hour after the crash.
More than three hours after the deadly incident, Spanos' BAC (blood alcohol content) was still twice the legal limit, according to the criminal complaint. He was arrested by Oyster Bay police at that time.
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"Ismenia and Odalis Urena had two young daughters. Ismenia was a recently published author and worked as a certified life coach. Her husband, Odalis, owned a successful construction company. The couple was in the prime of their lives, and in an instant, this defendant allegedly took it all away while speeding down Northern Boulevard at 100 miles an hour," said District Attorney Donnelly. "Now, the Urena’s children are without their mother and father and a community is in mourning."
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At his court hearing Tuesday, Spanos pleaded not guilty and was remanded. His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 17. Dozens of people, including two Greek Orthodox priests, were there to support Spanos, though none answered questions from reporters.
Family members and loved ones of the husband and wife, both 37, packed the courtroom Tuesday as well, calling for justice for the Syosset couple's two orphaned daughters, ages 14 and 8. They were in tears as they left the courtroom in Mineloa.
"I feel sad very sad for my son he left two daughters. We are also devastated," Juana Cruz, the mother of Odalis Urena, said through a translator.
