Long Island woman convicted of manslaughter in the hit-and-run death of a New York police detective

NEW YORK (AP) — A Long Island woman was convicted on Tuesday of aggravated manslaughter in the death of a New York City police detective killed on the Long Island Expressway.

Jessica Beauvais, of Hempstead, was arrested in April 2021 after 43-year-old Anastasios Tsakos, a 14-year veteran of the police department, was struck and killed while assisting officers at the scene of another fatal crash on the expressway in Queens.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said Beauvais, 34, was intoxicated and driving with a suspended license. She fled, but was arrested a short time later.

“The defendant had absolutely no business being behind the wheel,” Katz said in a written statement. “Her selfish decision-making and recklessness led to a horrific, senseless tragedy that left Detective Tsakos’ widow to raise their two young children without their father. We are grateful for the jury’s verdict and hope it brings at least some measure of solace to the detective’s loved ones.”

The 43-year-old detective was struck around 2 a.m. on April 27, 2021, while standing next to his police car.