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The Hauppauge man accused of causing the drunken-driving crash that killed Nassau County Police Officer Patricia Espinosa accepted responsibility Thursday in the high-speed, deadly wreck.
Matthew Smith, 21, pleaded guilty in Suffolk County Supreme Court to aggravated vehicular homicide and a host of related charges stemming from the Jan. 31 crash in St. James that took the life of the 42-year-old officer and mom as she drove to work and seriously injured Smith’s passenger.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymone Tierney said Smith is expected to be sentenced July 20 to 7⅓ to 22 years behind bars.
The plea and the forthcoming sentencing brings a measure of closure to a case that shook Long Island’s law enforcement community and drew widespread public attention after prosecutors alleged Smith was heavily intoxicated, speeding and ran a red light before slamming into Espinosa’s car at the intersection of Route 347 and Alexander Avenue.
“Patricia Espinosa, a wife and mother who dedicated her life to protecting others, was killed on her way to work, leaving her daughter without a mother, her husband without a wife, and a family without their beloved daughter and sister,” Tierney said following the Smith’s guilty plea.
“While nothing will restore what the victims and their families and colleagues have lost, we hope that this plea provides them with some measure of justice,” he added.
A series of bad choices
Prosecutors said the crash was the culmination of a series of bad decisions, noting that said Smith and a passenger left Jake’s 58 Casino Hotel shortly after 6 a.m. after a night of drinking that began in downtown Patchogue.
Smith was driving a Chevrolet Silverado about 70 mph in a 30-mph zone when he entered the St. James intersection against a red light and struck Espinosa’s vehicle.
A chemical test later determined Smith’s blood-alcohol content was .20 — more than twice the legal limit, authorities said. Police also recovered a bottle of Bacardi rum and a shot glass from the pickup truck, cops said.
Espinosa was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Smith’s passenger suffered serious injuries, including pelvic and spinal fractures and a severe head laceration.
The guilty plea comes three months after a Suffolk grand jury indicted Smith on 19 charges, including aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular manslaughter, aggravated vehicular assault and assault. At the time, prosecutors said Smith had reached speeds as high as 125 mph earlier in the evening and had been drinking throughout the night before the fatal collision.
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As part of his plea agreement, Smith admitted guilt to two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular manslaughter, manslaughter, aggravated vehicular assault, assault, aggravated driving while intoxicated and other charges. He also agreed to forfeit his Silverado pickup truck.
Espinosa’s death prompted an outpouring of support from Long Island’s law enforcement and business communities.
More than 1,000 officers attended her funeral services in Smithtown, and the Long Island Pizza Strong coalition raised more than $200,000 for her family.
A 10-year veteran of the Nassau County Police Department, Espinosa left behind her husband, Officer Francisco Malaga, and their young daughter, Mia. She additionally came from a law enforcement family that included two brothers who serve as police officers.
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