Kervens Boutin pleads guilty in Southern Parkway crash that killed two of his passengers
An Elmont man whose legs were amputated after a high-speed crash on the Southern State Parkway pleaded guilty Friday to causing the 2013 accident that also killed two of his passengers.
Kervens Boutin, 32, who had worked as a school safety aide, pleaded guilty in a Mineola court to charges of aggravated vehicular homicide, second-degree assault, in addition to driving while drunk and while impaired by marijuana.
With Boutin beside him in a wheelchair, defense attorney Steven Epstein of Garden City read a statement from his client that expressed remorse.
"I am truly sorry for what has happened," it said in part. "I know now that I must move on for my children, and as I face the new challenges before me, I also know that my injuries will always serve as a reminder of the loss of my dear friends."
Assistant District Attorney Michael Bushwack appealed for a sentence of 5 years to 15 years in state prison. But Nassau County Judge Tammy Robbins said she planned to sentence Boutin to no more than a maximum of 2 years to 6 years.
She said the families of the victims didn't object to her sentencing decision, and that she also would delay Boutin's incarceration to allow time for surgeries he still needs following the wreck.
Authorities have said Boutin was drunk and high after leaving a party in Amityville just before 6 a.m. on Jan. 27, 2013, and speeding at more than 100 mph when he crashed a Nissan Maxima into trees near a North Merrick parkway exit.
The crash killed Boutin's passengers, Bryan J. Rivas, 20, and Blossom J. Castro, 22, both of Hempstead. It also injured passenger Antonio Rivas, 22, also of Hempstead, who lost a leg, and Marlo Cabrera, 19, of the Bronx, who had internal injuries.
Before the crash, Boutin, a father of two who is free on $100,000 bail, had worked at Roosevelt High School. He ignored a request for comment while leaving court Friday.
"The defendant alone is responsible for these brutal deaths and terrible injuries, including his own, and he will soon bear the legal consequences," Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice said in a statement Friday.
With Ellen Yan
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