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Leo Flores-Gracias, age 26, of Huntington Station, was sentenced to four to 12 years behind bars in Suffolk County Court on Monday, Sept. 30.
It followed his guilty plea to aggravated vehicular homicide and related charges in the death of Marlon Nunez-Cuellar.
According to prosecutors, it was around 8 p.m. on July 4, 2023, when Flores-Gracias and three others left a party in Huntington where they had been drinking alcohol.
He was speeding northbound on Sweet Hollow Road when he lost control of his Honda Accord and slammed head-on into a southbound car near Chichester Road.
The impact left his passenger, Nunez-Cuellar, seriously injured. The Huntington Station resident later died at Plainview Hospital.
Nobody else was injured in the crash.
When Suffolk County Police arrived, they determined that Flores-Gracias was intoxicated and arrested him. Testing revealed that his blood alcohol concentration was .19 percent, more than two times the legal limit.
Investigators also reviewed his car’s event data recorder, which showed that he was going 72 miles per hour in a 20 MPH zone at the time of the crash. Inside the trunk, police discovered containers of Corona beer.
On Thursday, June 6, Flores-Gracias pleaded guilty to the following charges:
- Aggravated vehicular homicide (felony)
- Second-degree manslaughter (felony)
- Aggravated driving while intoxicated (misdemeanor)
- Reckless driving (misdemeanor)
“That selfish disregard for the safety of others lead to the tragic death of his own friend, Marlon Nunez-Cuellar,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
“We hope that the sentence imposed today provides comfort to the victim’s family who have been dealing with the devastating impacts of this defendant’s actions and serves as a reminder not to jeopardize the lives of others by choosing to drive under the influence.”
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