A Queens man who killed a 47-year-old taxi cab driver in a Franklin Square hit-and-run crash last year admitted to the crime on Wednesday, the day his trial was set to begin.
Duke Obule pleaded guilty at Nassau County court to second-degree manslaughter, assault, leaving the scene of an accident and driving without a license.
“Duke Obule’s outrageous conduct, driving his BMW at more than 100 miles per hour, cost an innocent man his life,” Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said.
Prosecutors said the 24-year-old man was speeding eastbound on Hempstead Turnpike with a 20-year old woman in the front seat after leaving a hookah lounge in Farmingdale when he crashed into a taxi cab at the corner of Lincoln Road, killing the cabbie, Paul Mitacek, of Elmont, at 4:16 a.m. on April 23, 2016.
The victim, who was a father of three, was pronounced dead at the scene. Obule ran from the scene, abandoning his passenger who was not able to move because of her injuries, but he was apprehended nearby, authorities said.
Obule faces up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced by Judge Christopher Quinn.
