October 17, 2006

Heidgen Convicted of Murder

DA to seek life in prison for Valley Stream man convicted in double-fatality DWI crash

MINEOLA, NY - After deliberating for more than four days, a Nassau County jury has found Martin Heidgen, 25, of Valley Stream, guilty of Murder in the Second Degree.

Immediately following the verdict, District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced that her office will be seeking the maximum punishment allowed by law, 25-years-to-life in prison.

In the early morning hours of July 2, 2005, Mr. Heidgen, operating a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck, and heading north on the southbound lanes of the Meadowbrook Parkway, collided head-on with a limousine driving a family home from a relative’s wedding. Killed in the crash were 7-year-old Katie Flynn of Long Beach, the flower girl of the wedding, and limousine driver Stanley Rabinowitz, 59, of Farmingdale.

Mr. Heidgen’s blood-alcohol level was determined to be .28, more three and a half times the legal limit, shortly after the crash. Eyewitness testimony during the trial placed Mr. Heidgen’s truck on the Parkway in the wrong direction, traveling at more than 65 m.p.h., for approximately 3 miles. There was no evidence at the trial of Mr. Heidgen stopping, slowing, or attempting to get out of the way of numerous oncoming vehicles.

In September 2005, a Grand Jury indicted Mr. Heidgen on two counts of Murder in the Second Degree (Depraved Indifference), three counts of Assault in the First Degree, two counts of Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree, and two counts of DWI.

The jury convicted the defendant on all counts with the exception of two charges of Reckless Endangerment, relating to vehicles the defendant passed while he was traveling on the Parkway.

The trial, in front of the Honorable Alan L. Honorof, lasted more than five weeks. Mr. Heidgen faces a maximum sentence of 25-years-to-life in prison at his November 20 sentencing. The minimum sentence for a Class A felony is 15-years-to-life in prison.

Assistant District Attorney and Chief of the D.A.’s Vehicular Crimes Bureau, Maureen McCormick, and Assistant District Attorney Robert Hayden, of the Major Offense Bureau, handled the case for the District Attorney’s Office. Mr. Heidgen is being represented by Stephen LaMagna, Esq., of Garden City.