The Riverhead man who pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in June in connection with a crash on Flanders Road Dec. 17 was sentenced Thursday to 2 3⁄4 to 8 1⁄4 years in prison, Suffolk District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced today.
Santiago Monzon-Archila, 40, was driving drunk on Dec. 17 at about 5 a.m. when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed through an iron fence, into a parked truck and then through a wood fence, which caused the car to go airborne and finally crash into a house on Flanders Road.
His passenger, Edis Noe Hernandez Nunez, 36, of Riverside, was ejected from the vehicle and later pronounced dead at Peconic Bay Medical Center.
Monzon-Archila’s vehicle landed upside down with him trapped inside. He cut himself out of the driver’s seatbelt, according to police.
Police recovered beer cans at the crash scene.
Monzon-Archila admitted to police that he and Edis had been drinking beer since 7 p.m. the night before, Tierney said.
The district attorney’s office obtained a search warrant to test Monzon-Archila’s blood, which was drawn one hour after the crash. The results of the analysis revealed a blood-alcohol content of .13%, prosecutors said.
“This victim’s life was cut short due to this defendant’s decisions, which evinced a total disregard for the safety and well-being of his passenger and other motorists,” said Tierney. “We will continue to crack down on drivers who choose to endanger the citizens of Suffolk County on our roads.”
In addition to Manslaughter in the Second Degree, the defendant was sentenced to a concurrent 1 to 3 years in prison for Vehicular Manslaughter in the Second Degree and 6 months in prison for Driving While Intoxicated.
This case was heard before the Supreme Court Justice Richard I. Horowitz. The case was prosecuted by assistant district attorneys Carl Borelli and James P. Scahill of the Vehicular Crime Bureau. Monzon-Archila was represented by attorney Jeremy Mis of the Legal Aid Society.
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