Nassau Woman Pleads Guilty To Manslaughter In DWI Crash

An Elmont woman pleaded guilty today to manslaughter and other charges for killing a man in a crash while she was driving drunk last February.

Julie Debrosse, 31, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault and driving while intoxicated. She is due back in court on May 5, and is expected to be sentenced to 40 to 120 months in prison for the manslaughter charge and 84 months for the assault charge.

“This defendant drove drunk at nearly 90 miles an hour in a 30 mile per hour zone when she crashed into Michael Saudo’s car, killing him,” said Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas. “This crash was not an accident, it was a preventable criminal act, and we extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Saudo’s family.”

According to Singas, around 3:10 a.m. on Feb. 17, 2019, Debrosse was driving her 2017 Honda Civic north on Meacham Avenue in Elmont, when she struck the driver's side of a 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier as it was making a turn.

The driver of the Cavalier, 65-year-old Michael Saudo, was rushed to Nassau University Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries.

An investigation revealed that Debrosse was driving 88 miles per hour in a 30 mph zone at the time of the crash, and had a blood alcohol level of .14 about 90 minutes after the crash. She was driving home to Elmont from a party in Queens at the time of the crash.

Saudo was driving home from work when he was killed.