Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Jhonny Chavarria-Argueta, 21, of Bay Shore, was sentenced to four to 12 years after driving his vehicle at 120 mph while intoxicated, resulting in a crash that killed his passenger, Jessica Gonzalez, 19, of Commack.
“The defendant’s complete and utter carelessness cost Jessica Gonzalez her life,” said District Attorney Tierney. “There may have been a chance for the victim’s survival if the defendant didn’t think about himself following the crash and, instead, rendered aid to Jessica. While justice is no substitute for a human life, this prison sentence will hold the defendant responsible for his actions.”
According to court documents and the defendant’s admissions during his guilty plea allocution, on September 18, 2022 at approximately 4:20 a.m., Chavarria-Argueta was driving a rented 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe eastbound on the Southern State Parkway in the area of the Robert Moses Causeway near exit 40 after having consumed alcohol. Witnesses observed the defendant drinking alcohol prior to driving the car.
The defendant, who was driving at an extremely high rate of speed, lost control of the vehicle and struck the median guardrail causing the vehicle to flip multiple times and finally came to a rest on its nose against the Robert Moses Causeway overpass. Gonzalez, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, was ejected from the vehicle and died from injuries she sustained in the crash. Following the crash, Chavarria-Argueta climbed out of the vehicle and fled the scene on foot. Prosecutors obtained a warrant to retrieve the black box from Chavarria-Argueta’s vehicle which revealed that he was driving 120 mph within seconds of the time of the crash.
On April 20, 2023, Chavarria-Argueta pleaded guilty before Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable Judge Timothy P. Mazzei to:
- Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a Class C felony;
- Vehicular Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a Class D felony;
- Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting, a Class D felony; and
- Driving While Intoxicated, an Unclassified misdemeanor.
On June 1, 2023, Judge Mazzei sentenced Chavarria-Argueta to four to 12 years in prison. He was represented by Cornell Bouse, Esq.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Raymond Varuolo of the Vehicular Crime Bureau, with assistance from New York State Police Investigator Scott Kuntz.
Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.