A Wantagh man with a history of drunk driving pleaded guilty Monday to aggravated vehicular homicide in a fatal crash that killed a man meeting a friend at the On Parade Diner in Woodbury In January 2023.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said William Specht, 63, was drunk when he struck Wantagh resident Joseph Devito, 61.
“Willem Specht, a recidivist drunk driver with two prior convictions, was more than two times the legal limit for alcohol when he struck and killed Joseph Devito, who was standing outside the On Parade Diner saying goodbye to his lifelong friend,” Donnelly said in a press release.
Specht, appearing before Judge Meryl Berkowitz, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide, assault in the second degree and aggravated driving while intoxicated.
Donnelly said she expected Sprecht to be sentenced to seven to 15 years in prison.
She said Specht struck Devito while driving in reverse and continued in his car, colliding with a metal fence and the exterior wall of the diner.
Specht attempted to leave the scene but was stopped by a witness, Donnelly said
The Nassau County Police Department arrested Specht. More than three hours after the incident, Specht’s blood alcohol content was 0.18%, Donnelly said.
After he was struck, Devito was taken to Syosset Hospital, where he died due to head injury, Donnelly said.
Specht will be sentenced to prison on Sept., 25.
