Queens man charged in fatal LI crash

A Queens Village man pleaded not guilty Monday to manslaughter and other charges after a December crash that killed his passenger while he was allegedly driving drunk and speeding in Elmont.

Nassau prosecutors said Kwesi Williams, 41, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of manslaughter in the Dec. 3 crash on Elmont Road near Elmont Cemetery.

A grand jury also indicted him on charges of vehicular manslaughter, drunken driving, reckless endangerment and reckless driving.

Williams was allegedly driving 74 mph in a 30-mph zone at 2:04 a.m. when his BMW sedan crossed the roadway, hit an empty parked car and rolled over before crashing into a utility pole, according to authorities.

The Nassau District Attorney’s Office on Monday identified the crash victim as 32-year-old Sadayah Furet. Her family was present in a Mineola courtroom for Williams’ arraignment, but later declined to comment.

Furet died at NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island about 90 minutes after the crash, according to prosecutors. 

Senior Assistant District Attorney Brooke Salvatore said in court that a sample of Williams’ blood from his hospitalization after the crash showed a blood-alcohol content of 0.09%, above the state’s legal intoxication threshold of 0.08%.

Defense attorney Justin Feinman told Nassau Supervising Judge Teresa Corrigan he was in talks with prosecutors about the case, adding that experts might be involved to determine the cause of the crash.

Feinman said in a Newsday interview later that black box data from the BMW suggests his client, a utility worker, was asleep at the time of the crash. He said the data doesn't show any braking after a rapid acceleration of speed, a pattern he said could be accounted for by loss of consciousness and Williams' foot hitting the gas.

"A reasonable view of the facts right now suggests alcohol may not have been the cause of the accident," Williams' lawyer added.

In court, Corrigan continued Williams’ previously set bail, which includes options of $100,000 bond or $50,000 cash. He remains free while pending trial, but authorities have suspended his driver’s license and taken custody of his passport.

“Driving while intoxicated is a serious crime and can quickly turn deadly. Our thoughts are with the victim’s family as we prosecute this case,” Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly said in a statement later Monday.