Queens, New York. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said Thursday that a Bronx woman who was speeding on the Whitestone Expressway at 123 miles per hour before colliding with an Uber and killing a passenger has entered a guilty plea to first-degree manslaughter. In an effort to escape accountability for the May 2023 incident, Melissa Rodriguez-Lopez, 29, of Kossuth Avenue, also acknowledged evading the crash site and fabricating a report that her car had been stolen.
Due to Rodriguez-Lopez’s careless behavior, the Uber driver suffered serious injuries and Brooklyn resident Steven Spaulding, 62, lost his life. When she is formally sentenced on January 28, Supreme Court Justice Michael Aloise has stated that she will receive an 18-year prison term.
According to District Attorney Katz, the defendant murdered the passenger when she crashed her Lexus into the back of an Uber while racing at 123 miles per hour. Melissa Rodriguez-Lopez then entered a precinct of the New York City Police Department and stated that her car had been stolen after causing a tragic collision. Unfortunately, the repercussions of this defendant’s acts will be with Steven Spaulding’s family for the rest of their life. As they continue to grieve over Mr. Spaulding, we hope that our appeal may be helpful to his family and friends.
High-speed crash and fatal consequences
The allegations state that the tragic collision happened at around 3 a.m. on May 27, 2023. Rodriguez-Lopez was traveling north on the Whitestone Expressway, close to the Whitestone Bridge and Cross Island Parkway, in a black 2015 Lexus RC350 with customized license plates. She had a passenger in her automobile and was racing other cars at an estimated 123 mph.
Rodriguez-Lopez’s Lexus collided into the back of a Toyota Corolla that was being used as an Uber as she was racing at high speeds. Both cars suffered catastrophic damage in the collision, and her car’s airbags deployed as a result.
The Uber passenger, Steven Spaulding, died from a stroke after suffering severe spinal injuries in the collision. The Uber driver also suffered severe injuries, such as torso and neck trauma.
Flight from the scene and false report
Without telling the Toyota driver who she was or alerting the police, Rodriguez-Lopez and her companion got out of her car after the crash and fled the area in the car of another racer.
Rodriguez-Lopez entered the 52nd Precinct of the NYPD in the Bronx later that morning and made a bogus complaint about her stolen Lexus. Despite her assertion that she was not there during the incident, surveillance film showed that she had apparent arm injuries consistent with airbag deployment. Rodriguez-Lopez admitted to police that she had spent the entire day with a friend.
Legal proceedings and sentencing
Rodriguez-Lopez satisfied the indictment’s counts by entering a guilty plea to first-degree assault and manslaughter. Later this month, Justice Aloise is anticipated to sentence the defendant to 18 years in jail.
The tragedy serves as a reminder of the risks associated with careless driving and drag racing, which frequently result in the deaths of innocent people. While the court is ready to close this chapter with Rodriguez-Lopez’s sentencing, Spaulding’s family is still grieving the loss of their loved one.
Rodriguez-Lopez will soon have to deal with the fallout from her choices, which had a significant influence on other people’s lives.
