A Wantagh man was sentenced to up to 15 years in prison for fatally striking a man at the On Parade Diner in Woodbury in January 2023, said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly.
William Specht, 63, pleaded guilty on Aug. 26 to aggravated vehicular homicide, second-degree assault and aggravated driving while intoxicated.
Specht struck Wantagh resident Joseph Devito, 61, who had been standing outside the diner, saying goodbye to his lifelong friend.
“In the middle of the afternoon on January 18, 2023, Willem Specht got behind the wheel of his car more than twice the legal limit for alcohol, put it in reverse, and mowed down 61-year-old grandfather Joseph Devito,” Donnelly said in a press release.
Specht had a history of drunk driving and continued to drink publicly after the incident, Donnelly said.
“During the course of this prosecution and against court orders, Specht continued to drink brazenly and publicly. Surveillance video even captured the defendant entering his local liquor store, buying a bottle of vodka, and uncapping it right in the parking lot at the same time he was scheduled and failed to appear for a court date in Joseph Devito’s tragic death,” Donnelly said.
In January 2023, Specht struck Devito while driving in reverse and continued in his car, colliding with a metal fence and the exterior wall of the diner. He attempted to leave the scene but was stopped by a witness, Donnelly said
Devito was taken to Syosset Hospital, where he died due to head injury, 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.
“Joseph was a dependable and compassionate man,” Donnelly said. “Specht’s irresponsible drinking and reckless choices robbed the Devito family of a husband and father’s supportive presence. I hope that this defendant uses his significant prison sentence to reflect on the heartbreak that he has caused.”
