Jessica Beauvais of Hemsptead denied bail reduction in fatal crash case that killed NYPD Officer Anastasios Tsakos of East Northport, officials say
Jessica Beauvais at her arraignment in May 2021 in Queens Criminal Court. Credit: Corey Sipkin
A Hempstead mother accused of driving drunk and killing NYPD Officer Anastasios Tsakos in 2021 lost her attempt to get her bail reduced so she could get out of Rikers Island while she awaits trial, court officials and her attorney said.
Defense attorney Peter Laumann said that during a brief hearing in Queens State Supreme Court earlier this week Judge Michael Aloise denied a request to lower bail for Jessica Beauvais, which was set by a higher court at $1.25 million. As a result, Beauvais must stay in jail, said Laumann.
Aloise did not elaborate on why he was denying the defense request, a court official said. Aloise adjourned the case until May 17, when he is expected to set a trial date on the manslaughter case. A spokesman for the Queens District Attorney's Office didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
Beauvais, 34, has been held in jail since she was arrested on April 27, 2021, after she allegedly drove drunk as she struck and killed Tsakos, 43, on the Long Island Expressway while the highway officer was attempting to divert traffic because of an earlier accident.
NYPD Highway Patrol Officer Anastasios Tsakos was killed in the crash on April 27, 2021. Credit: NYPD
According to police, Beauvais was intoxicated as she sped past the roadblock were Tsakos, a married father of two from East Northport, was stationed in the eastbound lanes by Exit 26, striking and catapulting him through the air, causing multiple fatal injuries.
The impact of the crash was so severe that Tsakos’s police memo book and other property were found inside Beauvais’s wrecked car after officers stopped her on the expressway service road and arrested her. Tsakos was promoted to the rank of detective posthumously.
Aloise initially ordered Beauvais held without bail after she was arrested and arraigned. Defense attorneys appealed Aloise’s ruling and asked that Beauvais be released under her own recognizance and have a reasonable bail set.
In December 2021, the Appellate Division Second Department set bail at $1.25 million to be secured by a bail bond, or the sum of $850,000 in a partially secured bond, court records showed. The appellate court also said that Beauvais could post $500,000 cash.
If Beauvais was to make bail she would be subject to electronic monitoring and other conditions. But so far, Beauvais hasn’t been able to raise the required bail.
At the May court date, Aloise is expected to rule on various defense motions aimed at, among other things, suppressing statements Beauvais made to police the day she was arrested.
Beauvais faces 15 years in prison if convicted of the top second-degree manslaughter charge. Beauvais also faces numerous other charges, including DWI, leaving the scene of an accident and driving with a suspended license.
Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.
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