News: LI Road Rage Verdict Returned
(Long Island, N.Y.) A twenty-four-year-old man from Oceanside was handed a mixed verdict in a case that involved a road rage incident in 2009. Though he was charged with criminally negligent homicide regarding the death of a thirty-four-year-old man from Wantagh, he was acquitted of the harsher charge of second-degree manslaughter. Residents across Long Island are expressing strong reactions to the verdict, and many are divided in thinking justice was served.
The young man’s attorney claimed that he believed the guilty verdict of criminally negligent homicide would be reversed after an appeal. Under the charge of criminally negligent homicide, the defendant faces one to four years in prison. If he was convicted of second-degree manslaughter, for the altercation that occurred at ten in the morning of May 15th, he could have faced a maximum of five to fifteen.
The defense claimed that the jury’s verdict demonstrated that they didn’t find the twenty-four-year-old to be reckless. While the second-degree manslaughter charge implied that the risk of killing someone was ignored, the criminally negligent homicide charge suggested that the defendant killed by accident and without knowing or realizing the result. Reports stated that jury deliberations for the trial took a period of two days.
The incident, which occurred roughly two years ago, began after the defendant and victim drove East on West Beech Street in Long Beach. The defendant allegedly cut off the thirty-four-year-old and the duo argued after turning north toward East Park Avenue. They traveled east on Park, and reports stated that the defendant threw a small object at the victim’s vehicle.
After a two-mile altercation the fighting escalated; the victim blocked the defendant to get out of his car and exploded in rage. The defendant dialed emergency services, and reports stated that the last words heard from the victim were threats and profanities. The twenty-four-year-old then drove over the man with the front left wheel and rear left wheel.
The rear left wheel crushed the victim’s skull and an autopsy revealed broken legs, ribs, and massive internal damage. Tire tracks were imprinted on the torso, chest, and face. The defense attempted to justify the killing and had claimed that the thirty-four-year-old had been under the influence of steroids.
The District Attorney claimed that the jury was faced with a difficult task and hard decision, and respected the verdict for ensuring that the defendant will be made responsible for his actions. A witness allegedly heard a scream and the victim’s head rattling in the undercarriage, claiming he was like a cat in the road. The prosecution attempted to undermine the defense by stating that the young man didn’t have a gun to his head, knife to his throat or a hand on his neck at the time of the incident; attorneys portrayed the victim as a human speed bump.
The trial lasted a span of six weeks and sentencing is scheduled for August 16th. A large crowd formed before the verdict was revealed, prompting officials to occupy a larger room at the Nassau County Courthouse. Some followers of the case wondered what the outcome would have been if the defendant were a young woman.
