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Jan. 23, 2011 Staff Report
A drunk driver who killed a deliveryman for a Sunnyside Chinese restaurant last year pleaded guilty to felony vehicular manslaughter on Wednesday.
Richard Contreras, 29, of Long Island City, admitted that he was drunk when he struck down and killed Jianqui Chen, 52, who was riding his scooter for Ten Full Chinese Food, located at 39-49 48th Avenue. The incident occurred at the intersection of 39th Place and the Queens Midtown Expressway.
Contreras, who was driving a 2004 black Ford Explorer, fled the scene. The police quickly located him at the intersection of Greenpoint and Bradley Avenues.
The police observed that he had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath and slurred speech. They administered an intoxilyzer test which registered he had a blood alcohol content reading of .195 percent – which is over the legal limit of .08 percent in New York.
Contreras pleaded guilty to first-degree vehicular manslaughter before Queens Supreme Court Justice Dorothy Chin-Brandt, who indicated that she would sentence him to a term of 3 1/3 years to 10 years in state prison at sentencing on March 1, 2011.
“The defendant has admitted his guilt to a terrible and tragic crime… that resulted in the untimely death of a hardworking man who came to America with his wife for a better life,” said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.
