'Remorseful' Bay Shore Man Pleads Guilty In Fatal DWI High Speed Crash

BAY SHORE, NY — A 21-year-old man pleaded guilty Thursday to speeding 120 mph on Robert Moses Causeway and driving while intoxicated in a crash that killed his passenger.

Jhonny Chavarria-Argueta, of Bay Shore, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, leaving the scene of an incident without reporting, and driving while intoxicated, said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney.

On Sept. 18, 2022, at about 4:20 a.m., Chavarria-Argueta was driving a rented 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe eastbound on the Southern State Parkway in the area of the Robert Moses Causeway near exit 40 after drinking alcohol, according to court documents and his admissions during his guilty plea allocution.

Witnesses also saw Chavarria-Argueta drinking alcohol prior to driving the car.

The 21-year-old, who was driving at an extremely high rate of speed, lost control of the vehicle
and struck the median guardrail, causing the vehicle to flip multiple times, prosecutors said.

The car finally came to a rest on its nose against the Robert Moses Causeway overpass.

Jessica Gonzalez, 19, of Commack, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, was thrown from the vehicle and died of her injuries, prosecutors said.

Following the crash, Chavarria-Argueta climbed out of the vehicle and ran.

Prosecutors later obtained a warrant to retrieve the black box from Chavarria-Argueta’s vehicle, which revealed that he was driving 120 mph within seconds of the time of the crash.

He was indicted on Dec. 7.

“This defendant’s selfish actions in driving drunk and speeding resulted in the death of this young woman, who was a defenseless passenger in his vehicle,” said Tierney. “The defendant’s selfishness continued even after the crash, when he refused to stay and render her aid, and, instead, cowardly ran away in an attempt to avoid being caught by law enforcement. Thankfully he has been, and will now be off the roads for a substantial time while he sits in prison for his crimes.”

Chavarria-Argueta is due back in court June 1 for sentencing and faces four to 12 years
in prison.

Cornell V. Bouse, Esq., Chavarria-Argueta's attorney, told Patch that there was no direct evidence of his client operating the vehicle.

While he could have raised a "reasonable doubt" in a trial, the "sympathy for the loss" of Gonzalez would impact a jury's decision.

"I know that the family of the victim would have been sitting in the front row throughout the trial," said Bouse.

He also said that Chavarria-Argueta and his family "sincerely mourn" the loss of Gonzalez.

"We can't go back in time, but my client is extremely remorseful, and the whole family mourns the loss of this young gal," said Bouse.