Hauppauge man get 7⅓ to 22 years in prison for fatal DWI crash that killed police officer

The 21-year-old Hauppauge man who pleaded guilty to charges related to a DWI crash that killed a Nassau Police officer on her way to work was sentenced Monday to 7⅓ to 22 years in prison.

Matthew Smith, 21, pleaded guilty last month to aggravated vehicular homicide and a bevy of related charges stemming from the Jan. 31 crash in St. James that killed Officer Patricia Espinosa and seriously injured a passenger inside Smith’s car.

Before Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei handed down the sentence, Espinosa’s husband, her two brothers and her sister each delivered emotional victim impact statements in the courtroom.

Several family members said the pain of losing Espinosa was something they doubted they could ever move past, with two of the victim’s siblings saying in court they can’t forgive Smith.

Smith addressed the family directly before sentencing, apologizing for the crash and saying that he hopes one day they will be able to forgive him.

Prosecutors said Smith and his passenger left Jake’s 58 Casino Hotel in his Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck around 6:07 a.m. after Smith had been drinking earlier at James Joyce and other establishments in Patchogue.

Smith blew through a red light at roughly 70 mph in a 30 mph zone, slamming into Espinosa’s vehicle as she drove to work from her home in St. James.

The friend riding with Smith suffered pelvic and spinal fractures and a severe laceration on his head

Espinosa, a 10-year veteran of the Nassau County Police Department, is survived by her husband, fellow officer Francisco Malaga, and their toddler daughter, Mia.

A chemical test showed Smith’s blood alcohol content was .20, more than twice the legal limit. Investigators said a bottle of Bacardi rum and a shot glass were found inside his truck.

“He was intoxicated, speeding, and lawless behind the wheel of a 5,000-pound pickup truck, and a police officer on her way to serve her community paid with her life,” Tierney said.

_{Top: A sibling of Patricia Espinosa speaks with the media at court on Monday (GLI photo); Matthew Smith (inset).}