Woman Pleads Guilty To Manslaughter; Crash Killed Another Driver: DA

MINEOLA, NY — A Georgia woman pleaded guilty on Monday to manslaughter for driving recklessly in Massapequa last year, causing the death of a 64-year-old driver, prosecutors said.

Rachel Lodice, 22, pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault, second-degree vehicular manslaughter, leaving the scene of a fatality without reporting, third-degree grand larceny; driving while ability impaired by drugs and third-degree assault, Nassau County D.A. Anne Donnelly said.

Lodice is expected to be sentenced to 3-1/3 to 10 years in prison on July 21.

On the evening of April 23, 2024, Lodice got into her 2023 Kia Rio at a Target store in Hicksville and began driving south on Newbridge Road, Donnelly said.

After pulling into a Walgreens parking lot briefly, she drove onto Hicksville Road, where Lodice began driving erratically at a high rate of speed, Donnelly said.

Moments later, she ran a red light at the intersection of Hicksville Road and Sunrise Highway, impaired by marijuana, and t-boned a 2022 Nissan Altima driven by 64-year-old Cynthia Mitchell with another passenger, prosecutors said.

Mitchell suffered extensive injuries and died a short time later at a hospital.

“As I have unfortunately said far too many times, impaired driving has devastating consequences. This defendant made several disastrous choices endangering multiple drivers on the road as she sped through red lights and drove on the wrong side of the road while high on marijuana,” said DA Donnelly. “Those reckless decisions led to a tragic outcome when the defendant slammed into Cynthia Mitchell’s vehicle, killing her, and injuring her friend who was also in the car. Today’s guilty plea cannot undo the pain Cynthia’s family will forever endure, but it’s a step toward justice.”

According to the event data recorder from Lodice’s vehicle, she was driving approximately 76 miles per hour five seconds before the crash. The speed limit at that section of roadway is 35 miles per hour, Donnelly said.

Patch attempted to reach Lodice's attorney Jenna Spelke, with the Legal Aid Society of Nassau County, for comment.