NEW YORK — A 26-year-old Brooklyn man was sentenced to prison for causing a 2019 crash while driving under the influence and speeding that led to the death of a motorcyclist and initially telling police it was his girlfriend who was driving at the time of the accident, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
Christopher Diaz was sentenced to 3 1/2 to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree manslaughter and driving under the influence on April 26.
Diaz’s sentence is related to a fatal incident that took place in the early morning hours of May 27, 2019. According to prosecutors, on that day, around 3:55 a.m., Diaz was driving a 2014 black Infinity sedan registered to his girlfriend, Jasmin Morales-Cruz, on Ocean Parkway near Beverley Road in Kensington, Brooklyn.
According to Gonzalez’s office, Diaz collided with 28-year-old Evvon Alexander, who was riding a motorcycle while traveling southbound and attempting to turn onto Beverley Road from the turning lane.
At the time of the crash, Diaz was driving more than 80 miles per hour in a 25-mph zone while under the influence of alcohol, the district attorney’s office said. The impact was so strong that it split the motorcycle in half, throwing Alexander into the air and over the median. He subsequently landed between parked cars on the service road and was pronounced dead at Maimonides Hospital.
When police arrived, Diaz, Morales-Cruz and their two passengers claimed that she was the one driving at the time of the accident. Days later, however, the two passengers admitted that Diaz was the driver and asked them to lie. Due to this alleged conspiracy, Diaz’s blood alcohol level was not tested after the accident. However, she later admitted that she had consumed six to eight beers, the district attorney’s office said.
Subsequently, following an investigation, surveillance video was recovered of Diaz, Morales-Cruz and their passengers drinking at three bars prior to the crash. The video also shows Diaz getting into the driver’s seat before the crash.
Additionally, the investigation produced text messages asking passengers to lie about who was driving at the time of the accident. Additionally, other evidence allegedly showed that Diaz accelerated from 65 mph to 83 mph just seconds before the crash and braked just half a second before impact.
Diaz was found hiding in his girlfriend’s closet at the time of his arrest.
In a related matter, Diaz’s girlfriend, also from Brooklyn, was charged with lying and pleaded guilty in connection with the case, the district attorney’s office said. She is awaiting sentencing.
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