Drunk driver gets maximum sentence for hit-and-run death of NYPD officer on LIE

The woman convicted of driving drunk when she struck and killed an NYPD officer on the Long Island Expressway in 2021 will spend decades behind bars after being sentenced Wednesday to the maximum penalty.

Jessica Beauvais was sentenced to 27 years in prison plus five years supervision upon her release: 20 years for aggravated manslaughter and two-and-one-third to seven years in prison for leaving the scene of an incident. She has to serve a minimum of 22 years in prison. The 35-year-old was found guilty in October for the early morning crash in April 2021 that killed Officer Anastasios Tsakos.

Beauvais previously admitted that she had been drinking and smoking marijuana before she got into her car earlier that morning of the highway crash.

Tsakos’ wife, Irene, walked into the Queens courtroom Wednesday as dozens of NYPD lined the corridor in a show of solidarity. She addressed the court before sentencing detailing the aftermath of her husband’s death.

“I was in shock until the thought of our children came into my mind and realized I had to go home to tell my babies that their dad — their favorite person — was gone,” she said fighting back tears. “That broke me.”

Beauvais spent the sentencing hearing looking down — refusing to make eye contact with anyone.

An NYPD highway officer has died after being hit by an alleged drunken driver as he investigated a crash scene on the Long Island Expressway early Tuesday, officials say. The Highway Unit officer, identified as 43-year-old Anastasio Tsakos, a 14-year veteran of the force, was at a scene in Clearview around 2 a.m. when a sedan hit him, according to the NYPD. He later died of his injuries at a hospital. The driver was identified as 32-year-old Jessica Beauvais, of Hempstead. She now faces a litany of charges including vehicular manslaughter, reckless endangerment, leaving the scene of a deadly accident, DWI and other offenses. NBC 4 New York has team coverage.

Tsakos, a 14-year veteran of the police department and a father of two, and his partner were on Long Island Expressway as they responded to a deadly crash near Francis Lewis Boulevard. The two set up a roadblock to help investigators process the scene.

Prosecutors previously said Beauvais was so drunk and high that she completely missed the flashing lights and drove straight into Tsakos. Police said her blood alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit after she tried to flee the scene of the incident.

At the time of the crash, Beauvais’ driver’s license was apparently suspended for failure to pay a Driver Responsibility Assessment in relation to a speeding conviction, according to police. Prosecutors with the Queens District Attorney’s office said that prior to the crash, Beauvais had been on a Facebook livestream, downing shots of vodka on camera. They also told the jury that when Beauvais attempted to run from police, she put her car in reverse and rammed into a police squad car.

A paramedic who treated Tsakos at the scene described the severe injuries he suffered, including an amputated leg and cuts to his face.

“She struck him with such speed, such power, such force that his body smashed into the hood of her car,” said Gregory Lasak, of the district attorney’s office, earlier in October. “She left him there on the side of the road to die without his leg.”

Beauvais’ defense team had argued that Taskos was not wearing a reflective jacket and wasn’t paying attention to oncoming traffic. During the trial, attorney Jorge Santos said the officer “was text messaging or was on his phone. Regrettably, that’s what he was doing and he was looking down.”

An NYPD highway officer has died after a vehicle struck him early Tuesday morning, police said. NBC New York’s Gaby Acevedo and Tracie Strahan report.

Beauvais was found guilty of second-degree aggravated manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident.

At her indictment in 2021, Beauvais made a tearful apology for the crash that took Tsakos’ life. In addition to his wife, Tsakos left behind a daughter and son — who were 6- and 3-years-old, respectively, at the time of his death.

“I’m sorry that I hit him and that he’s dead,” she said.

In September, Beauvais rejected a plea deal that would have sentenced her to 16 years in prison.

“She had the opportunity to take a plea and she didn’t,” NYPD Detectives Endowment Association President Paul DiGiacomo said prior to sentencing. “She rolled the dice and was found guilty. Now, I hope that the maximum penalty is imposed upon her and it will give this family some comfort and some closure moving forward.”