Friday, July 29, 2005

D.A. BROWN: VIRGINIA RESIDENT SOUGHT FOR OVER 30 YEARS AFTER ALLEGEDLY JUMPING BAIL IN 1974 VEHICULAR DEATH OF TAXI DRIVER IN CORONA APPREHENDED IN VIRGINIA; AWAITING EXTRADITION TO NEW YORK

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown today announced that a Virginia resident -- sought for over 30 years in the 1974 vehicular death of a limousine driver -- has been taken into custody in Chesapeake, Virginia where he is being held awaiting extradition back to Queens County to face prosecution.

District Attorney Brown said, "Although the incident took place in 1974 -- over 30 years ago -- police and prosecutors never closed the case. Their relentless search finally bore fruit when the defendant was apprehended last Wednesday in Virginia."

According to the District Attorney, the 50-year-old victim was driving his private taxi in Corona, Queens when he was struck and fatally injured. The driver is alleged to have been driving negligently at a high rate of speed and was apprehended at the scene and later arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on manslaughter and related vehicle and traffic law charges.

District Attorney Brown identified the defendant as Michael McKoy aka David McKoy, 57, formerly of 110-17 Northern Boulevard in Corona, Queens and currently residing at 2316 Rock Creek Drive in Chesapeake, Virginia, a carpenter. The defendant has been charged in a seven-count indictment with Criminally Negligent Homicide, Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Third Degree, Vehicle and Traffic Law Violations Driving Without A License, Motor Vehicle Insurance and Registration, Speeding and Failure To Obey A Signal Light and faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

The District Attorney said that the indictment charges that the defendant on February 11, 1974 about 1:30 a.m. caused the death of Michael Santora, 50, a private limousine driver of Flushing, at the intersection of 94th Street and Northern Boulevard in Corona, Queens by operating his vehicle with criminal negligence at a high rate of speed and in criminal possession of a stolen New York State license plate.

According to District Attorney Brown, the defendant was apprehended on a bench warrant on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 in Chesapeake, Virginia by detectives from the Chesapeake, Virginia Police Department Fugitive Squad and Homicide Division and the Queens District Attorney's Office. The long investigation and a fingerprint match identified the defendant as an individual residing in Chesapeake, Virginia under the name of David McKoy.

The case was investigated by Detectives Thomas Pepe and Bruce Milau, now retired and formerly of the New York City Police Department's Auto Crime Unit, and Detective Sergeant Frank A. DeRosalia and Detective Jerome M. LoVerdi of the District Attorney's Detective Bureau under the supervision of Lieutenant Daniel Collins and the overall supervision of Chief Lawrence J. Festa and Deputy Chief Al D. Velardi with the assistance of Detective Doug Anderson of the Chesapeake, Virginia Police Department Homicide Division.

Assistant District Attorney Michelle E. Goldstein of the District Attorney's Homicide Trials Bureau is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Jack Warsawsky, Deputy Bureau Chief, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Charles A. Testagrossa and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Daniel A. Saunders.

It should be noted that an indictment is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.