Guilty Plea from Retired Cop in Fatal Crash

CARMEL, NY — Taking a plea deal, retired police officer Richard O'Keefe pleaded guilty Wednesday to criminally negligent homicide in the fatal crash on Route 6 in 2015 that killed a beloved Somers teaching assistant.

The reduced charge of criminally negligent homicide, tentatively agreed to in January, is expected to carry a sentence of one year in county jail.

The well-known retired police officer was originally charged with Aggravated Vehicular Homicide, a Class B Felony, Vehicular Manslaughter in the 2nd Degree, a Class D Felony, and Driving While Intoxicated, an Unclassified Misdemeanor.

The Mahopac resident was arrested Nov. 15, the day after the nighttime crash in Carmel. State police assistance was requested by the Carmel Police Department who had made the initial response.

Part of the tragedy was that O'Keefe was not the sole cause of the crash, according to police reconstruction of the accident.

Police said Anna Estrada, 53, of Carmel, exited a parking area to make a left-hand turn onto Route 6 south. Estrada failed to yield the right of way to the Dodge Caravan driven by Richard O’Keefe, who was traveling north on Route 6.

O’Keefe’s minivan subsequently struck the Jeep on the drivers’ side, causing it to overturn. Frances Ghelarducci of Mahopac was a passenger in Estrada's SUV. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

A third vehicle, operated southbound by Philip Kossin of Mahopac, was also struck as a result of the crash. Kossin was not injured.

Putnam County District Attorney Bob Tendy said reconstruction of the accident showed that O’Keefe was speeding—between 52 and 58 mph — and had a blood-alcohol content of 0.247, TapIntoMahopac reported.

O’Keefe, a retired Carmel police officer, has served on the Mahopac Board of Education and the Carmel Town Board. At the time of the crash, his sister served on the town board and his brother-in-law was the town supervisor, according to The Journal News.

According to TapIntoMahopac, O'Keefe will be sentenced April 19. He reported to the Putnam County Jail in January when the plea deal was tentatively made.