A 27-year-old Brooklyn man accused of killing his wife while driving drunk and unlicensed in Astoria this week faces up to 15 years in prison on manslaughter and other charges, Queens prosecutors said Friday.
The man, Rey Perez, was arraigned on Friday in Queens Criminal Court on a slew of charges, including second-degree manslaughter, driving under influence of alcohol, and driving with a suspended license, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz’s office.
Around 4 a.m. on Thursday, Perez allegedly sped through a stop sign at the intersection of 47th Street and 28th Avenue in Astoria and collided with another vehicle, causing him to lose control and hit two parked cars.
But instead of stopping, prosecutors said, he fled the scene and drove roughly four miles with his wife, 29-year-old Brooklyn resident Bridget Enriquez, severely injured in the passenger seat.
Perez finally stopped near the intersection of 56th Drive and 61st Street in Maspeth around 4:20 a.m. and knocked on a nearby resident’s door for help, Katz’s office said.
Officers responding to that location found Enriquez lying unconscious inside the car with blood on her face, prosecutors said. She was rushed to a local hospital and pronounced dead.
Perez was also taken to a hospital, where his blood alcohol level was found to be above the legal limit, according to the DA’s Office. Motor vehicle records showed his license was suspended.
“As alleged in the complaint, the defendant’s decisions killed his own wife and put the lives of other motorists in danger,” Katz said in a statement. “We cannot undo this tragedy, but we will hold the defendant accountable.”
Perez is due back in court on Tuesday, prosecutors said. Attorney information for him was not immediately available.
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