Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini has announced the sentencing of a Bay Shore man for killing one victim and causing injuries to two others in a motor vehicle crash while driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
“This is a defendant who killed a father of four young children and injured two other victims, but instead of taking responsibility for his actions, he tried to convince the Court that he was unfit for trial,” District Attorney Sini said. “His behavior throughout this case was an insult to the victims and their families who were truly suffering. But thanks to the great work of the prosecutors and investigators in this case, justice was served and he received the maximum sentence today.”
Fernando Ramirez Jr., 34, of Bay Shore, was convicted by a jury on April 27 of three counts of Aggravated Vehicular Homicide, a B felony; Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a C felony; Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Vehicle in the First Degree, an E felony; Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated, an E felony; two counts of Driving While Intoxicated as an E felony; Driving While Ability Impaired by a Combination of Drugs and Alcohol, an E felony; Reckless Driving, an unclassified misdemeanor; and Consumption of Alcohol in a Motor Vehicle on a Highway, a traffic infraction. He was sentenced today by Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei to 12 and one-half to 25 years in prison.
On Nov. 27, 2017, Ramirez was driving a 2008 Subaru eastbound on the Long Island Expressway service road in Hauppauge. At approximately 3:20 a.m., Ramirez ran a red light at the intersection of the service road and Route 111 and struck a red 1997 Ford F150. The vehicles then collided with a blue 2004 Infiniti G35 that was traveling northbound on Route 111.
A passenger in the Ford, Daniel Granados, 31, of Central Islip, was pronounced dead at the scene by a physician assistant from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner.
The driver of the Ford was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of serious physical injuries. The driver of the Infiniti was transported to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore for treatment of minor injuries.
Ramirez sustained two broken femurs in the crash. Approximately one hour after the crash, a blood test revealed Ramirez’s blood alcohol level to be .19 percent. His blood also tested positive for the presence of THC.
Ramirez also claimed to have sustained a traumatic brain injury (“TBI”) in the crash. In July 2019, the District Attorney’s Office began an investigation into Ramirez’s condition based on evidence that he may have been malingering, or feigning symptoms related to the TBI, including requiring the use of a wheelchair and exhibiting signs of cognitive impairment such as limited speech and a comatose-like state of awareness at times. Pursuant to the investigation, the Office obtained surveillance video of his house that showed him acting in a manner inconsistent with his condition on numerous occasions, including one instance in which Ramirez loaded his own wheelchair into the car at his house before leaving for a court appearance then arriving at court in the wheelchair.
Pursuant to an order signed by Acting Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Fernando Camacho, a neurological report was produced by a certified psychologist designated by the Director of the Suffolk County Division of Community Mental Hygiene Services, which indicated that Ramirez showed signs of “feigned cognitive impairment.”
Opening statements in Ramirez’s trial began on April 21. The jury deliberated for less than one day before returning a verdict of guilty on all counts on April 27.
Ramirez was represented by Christopher Brocato.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Maggie Bopp and Daniel Cronin, of the Vehicular Crime Bureau.