A Huntington Station man pleaded guilty for crashing his car while under the influence of alcohol which resulted in the death of his passenger.
On July 4, 2023, at approximately 8:06 p.m., Leo Flores-Gracias and three others left a party where he had been drinking alcohol. All four individuals got into Flores-Gracias’ 2017 Honda Accord. Flores-Gracias began driving northbound on Sweet Hollow Road in Huntington, and crashed head-on into a vehicle that was driving southbound. An extraction of the vehicle’s event data recorder revealed that the defendant was traveling 72 miles per hour just one second before the impact on a roadway where the posted speed limit is 30 miles per hour.
Marlon Nunez-Cuellar, one of Flores-Gracias’ passengers, was transported to Plainview Hospital, where he was pronounced dead from injuries he sustained in the crash.
When police officers arrived at the scene, they observed Flores-Gracias exhibiting signs of intoxication and placed him under arrest. Flores-Gracias consented to a blood draw upon request by police. Subsequent toxicology testing of his blood revealed that Flores-Gracias’ blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was .14%. Additionally, a sample of Flores-Gracias’ blood taken by hospital staff was also seized pursuant to a search warrant. Toxicology testing of that blood sample, taken
at a different time than the sample taken by police, revealed Flores-Gracias’ BAC was .19%, more than two times the legal limit. Containers of Corona beer were also recovered from the trunk of the defendant’s vehicle during the execution of a search warrant.
On June 6, 2024, Flores-Gracias pleaded guilty to the following charges before Supreme Court Judge Richard Ambro:
- Aggravated Vehicular Homicide, a Class B felony
- Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a Class C felony
- Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated, an Unclassified misdemeanor
- Reckless Driving, an Unclassified misdemeanor
Flores-Gracias is due back in court for sentencing on August 20, 2024. He is expected to be sentenced to four to 12 years in prison.
“This defendant’s decision to drive while under the influence of alcohol caused the tragic death of Marlon Nunez-Cuellar,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “Today’s guilty plea should be a warning to others that drunk driving will not be tolerated in Suffolk County, and you will face serious penalties, particularly if you cause injury or death to another person.”