Trial Begins In Hit-And-Run That Killed Young Couple Expecting Child In Williamsburg
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The trial got under way in Brooklyn Monday for a driver accused of killing a young couple expecting their first child.
As CBS2's Scott Rapoport reported Monday, the defendant could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
"Just sad, and we miss them tremendously," said a friend of the victims -- Nachman and Raizy Glauber.
Tight-lipped and heartbroken, family and friends called for justice for the victims the victims – both 21 when they were killed in the crash in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on March 3, 2013.
Police said Julio Acevedo, now 46, was speeding early that morning when he broadsided a livery cab carrying the Glaubers at Kent Avenue and Wilson Street.
The trial for Acevedo began Monday on charges of reckless endangerment in the deaths, and leaving the scene of an accident.
"If you'd only known the people who were hurt, then you'd really know how sad it is," said another friend who would not give her name.
Nachman and Raizy Glauber were expecting the first child and were on their way to the hospital when the livery cab was struck. They both died instantly.
The baby was delivered via Caesarean section after the crash, but died around 5:30 a.m. the following morning.
Prosecutors said Acevedo fled the scene and was on the run for three days -- bolting to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, before surrendering to police.
The Glaubers' funeral drew thousands of Satmar Hasidic Jews to the streets of Brooklyn.
In opening statements in Brooklyn Supreme Court Monday, prosecutors told the jury Acvedo's BMW was going 70 mph at the point of impact, and that he never hit the brakes.
But Acevedo's attorney, Scott Brettschneider, asked the jury not to accept everything they are told. He told the jury, "Many of the experts who appear in this case have credibility problems."
"I'm saying my guy had the right of way," Brettschneider said. "The taxi driver was in a rush to get to the hospital."
Acevedo has an extensive criminal history, including a 1987 conviction for manslaughter in a shooting death. He served 10 years, was sent back for a parole violation, and then was released in 1999. His parole expired in 2003. He also had a DWI arrest in February 2013.
