A 32-year-old West Hempstead man pleaded guilty Friday to a drunken driving crash that killed two of his passengers and resulted in both of his legs being amputated.
Kervens Boutin, who Nassau County prosecutors said was nearly four times over the legal blood alcohol level when he slammed into a line of trees on the Southern State Parkway in January 2013, pleaded guilty to the top charge of aggravated vehicular homicide.
He also pleaded guilty to two counts of assault, aggravated operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs (investigators also said he had marijuana in his system).
The tragic crash occurred just before 6 a.m. on Jan. 27, 2013.
Boutin, prosecutors said, was speeding in excess of 90 mph with four passengers in his 2008 Nissan Maxima when he lost control and crashed into a tree-lined area on the north side of the parkway near Exit 22.
Twenty-two-year-old Blossom Castro, the front seat passenger, was killed on impact, prosecutors said. Also killed was 20-year-old Bryan Rivas. Two other passengers—19-year-old Marlo Cabrera and 22-year-old Antonio Rivas—suffered serious injuries; Rivas’ right leg was amputated.
“The passengers were the trapped, inevitable victims of this driver’s incredible recklessness,” Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said in a statement. “We’re fortunate that he didn’t strike any other cars and destroy more innocent lives.”
Prosecutors said the the New York State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit estimated that Boutin was traveling 99 mph when he lost control. His blood-alcohol content 40 minutes after the crash was .31, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors are recommending a sentence of five to 15 years in prison. Boutin is due back in court on Dec. 17.
