Man gets 6-18 years for killing couple in Thruway drunk driving crash

An Ossining man was sentenced Friday to six to 18 years in prison for killing a young couple in a June drunk-driving crash on the New York State Thruway in Harriman.The June 2 crash killed Melissa Rupa, 25, of Mineola and Rafaelito DeJesus, 23, of Valley Stream.
Luis Munoz, 25, pleaded guilty to the top count he faced, aggravated vehicular homicide, in exchange for the negotiated six-to-18 sentence.DeJesus's brother and Rupa's sister delivered tearful, emotional statements describing their families' profound grief and pain at their losses. Rupa and DeJesus were their families' rocks, conscientious and always willing to help others. DeJesus was like a second father to his younger brother, Rupa was helping her brother to raise his children.Assistant District Attorney Karen Edelman-Reyes asked Judge Jeffrey Berry to impose the agreed-upon sentence. She noted that Munoz never stopped his car, instead fleeing and trying to hide.He was caught because hours and miles away, he pulled his damaged car out in front of an off-duty police officer who had been at the crash scene for the medical examiner's office.Munoz's lawyer, Jaime Santana, offered his condolences to the families. Munoz offered a rambling apology, asking the families to forgive him.Berry impose the maximum sentence under the deal, six to 18 years.Heather Yakin