Santos Gets 3 to 9 Years in Prison for Killing Valley Stream Woman in 2007 Drunk Driving Crash

Albertson woman pleaded guilty to entire indictment, including aggravated vehicular homicide, assault and DWI

MINEOLA, NY – Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced today that Sophia Santos has been sentenced to three to nine years in prison by a Nassau County judge for her role in a fatal November 2007 car crash that killed a 62-year-old Valley Stream woman and injured her cousin, sister and husband.

On September 9, Santos, 21, of Albertson, pleaded guilty to two counts of Aggravated Vehicular Homicide, Vehicular Manslaughter in the First Degree, Vehicular Assault in the First and Second Degrees, Assault in the Second Degree, three counts of Assault in the Third Degree, Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated, two counts of Operating a Motor Vehicle While Under the Influence of Alcohol, Reckless Driving, and operating a motor vehicle without a driver’s license September 8.

Rice said that in the early morning hours of Sunday, November 11, 2007 Sophia Santos was driving a 2006 Mercedes Benz westbound on Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown.  Rice said that Santos ran the red light located at the intersection of Wantagh Avenue and Hempstead Turnpike, striking a 2005 Chevrolet being driven by Nancy Tumminello, of Elmont.  Tumminello’s cousin and a passenger in the car, Virginia Casazza-Urgo, was killed in the crash.  Injured in the crash were Tumminello and fellow passengers and family members Linda Chapman, of Levittown, and John Urgo, of Valley Stream.  Ms. Chapman, Casazza-Urgo’s sister, and Mr. Urgo, the victim’s husband, were both 53 years old at the time of the incident.  Ms. Tumminello was 48 years old at the time of the crash.

Rice said that the defendant’s blood-alcohol level at the time of the crash was .24, three times the legal limit, and that she ran a steady red light before striking the victim’s car in the middle of the intersection. Rice said that Santos didn’t have a valid driver’s license at the time of the incident.

“I only hope that Ms. Casazza-Urgo’s family can find some solace in knowing that Ms. Santos will spend years in prison for her actions,” Rice said. “This tragedy is another painful reminder of the damage caused by drinking and driving, and why we must continue to aggressively prosecute those who endanger our families.”

In December 2007, Santos became the first defendant in New York State to be charged with Aggravated Vehicular Homicide, a law that Rice helped draft and pass through the state legislature just days before the fatal incident.  State Senator Charles Fuschillo carried the bill in the legislature and was instrumental in its passing.  As a Class B felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison, Aggravated Vehicular Homicide is the most serious DWI-specific state law in New York State.