Mineola, NY - January 8, 2019 - Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas announced that a West Hempstead man was sentenced Friday to five to 15 years in prison for the fatal Baldwin crash that killed a 21-year-old man in March 2018 and injured his parents.
Roy Gomez, 39, pled guilty to the top charge he faced before Acting Supreme Court Justice Meryl Berkowitz on October 19 to:
- Aggravated Vehicular Homicide (a B felony)
- Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting, Resulting in Death (a D felony)
- Two counts of Assault in the Third Degree (an A misdemeanor)
- Aggravated DWI (an unclassified misdemeanor)
“The Bien-Amie family was simply driving home after having dinner together,” DA Singas said. “It is unthinkable that in a split second the selfish, drunk and criminal driving of the defendant stole the life of an innocent 21-year-old man, injured his parents and imposed a life sentence on the shattered Bien-Amie family. Our thoughts and sympathy are with them.”
DA Singas said on March 13, 2018, at approximately 10:15 pm, the defendant drove his 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer south on Grand Avenue in Baldwin while highly intoxicated when he crashed into the rear of a Nissan Altima that was stopped at a red light just blocks from the victims’ home. The violent impact pushed the rear of the Altima into the front seats, left all three victims trapped inside, and propelled the Nissan down Grand Avenue. Following the collision, the defendant fled the scene in his vehicle and abandoned it in a parking lot a few blocks away. He then hid in a charter boat three miles away in Freeport.
The defendant was later arrested at 3:30 am by members of the Freeport and Nassau County Police Departments who found the defendant sleeping on the boat on Woodcleft Avenue in Freeport.
21-year-old Jovanni Bien-Amie of Baldwin died on March 14 from injuries sustained in the crash and his parents, Jacques Bien-Aime and Kettelye Plantin, were also injured. The NCDA recommended a sentence of seven to twenty-one years in prison.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Alexander DePalo and Deputy Chief Michael Bushwack of DA Singas’ Vehicular Crimes Bureau. The defendant is represented by Robert Schalk, Esq.