Nassau Man Sentenced For Drunken Crash That Killed Girlfriend

A Roosevelt man was sentenced on Friday to 12 years in prison for a car crash that occurred in Hempstead on Nov. 21, 2015, in which the man's girlfriend was killed on her birthday. Horace Cummings, 34, pleaded guilty in February to second-degree manslaughter, second-degree reckless endangerment and driving while ability impaired by combined influence of alcohol and drugs.

“Diamond Hawkins turned 25 years old and lost her life on her birthday because her boyfriend, Horace Cummings, drove while he was impaired by alcohol and drugs and crashed the new car that she had just received from her family as a gift,” said Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas. “This tragic case should remind everyone that you must be careful about who you are trusting with your life when you enter a car as a passenger.”

On Nov. 21, 2015, at approximately 2:40 a.m., Cummings was driving his girlfriend's new 2015 Nissan Altima in Hempstead when he crossed over the center line on Front Street and then collided head-on with another car driving eastbound. Cummings’ passenger and girlfriend, Diamond Hawkins, was killed in the crash. Cummings told the police that his girlfriend had actually been the driver. Hawkins had just turned 25 years old and was given the Altima as a birthday gift. Cummings suffered non-life-threatening injuries, while the driver of the other car was uninjured.

Cummings was later indicted and surrendered to the Nassau County Police Department.

Photo: Nassau County District Attorney's Office