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Leo Flores-Gracias, age 26, of Huntington Station, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Thursday, June 6, 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.
In court Thursday, Flores-Gracias pleaded guilty to the following charges:
- Aggravated vehicular homicide (felony)
- Second-degree manslaughter (felony)
- Aggravated driving while intoxicated (misdemeanor)
- Reckless driving (misdemeanor)
He is expected to get four to 12 years in prison when he’s sentenced on Tuesday, Aug. 20.
“This defendant’s decision to drive while under the influence of alcohol caused the tragic death of Marlon Nunez-Cuellar,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
“Today’s guilty plea should be a warning to others that drunk driving will not be tolerated in Suffolk County, and you will face serious penalties, particularly if you cause injury or death to another person.”
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