Drunk driver Jessica Beauvais who killed NYPD cop Anastasios Tsakos faces up to 15 years in prison
Long Island resident Jessica Beauvais, who was arrested for killing an NYPD officer while drunk driving, was arraigned in Queens Supreme Court on May 25, 2021. The 32-year-old mother was accused of the death of Highway police officer Anastasios Tsakos and faced multiple charges. The police department later said that she confessed that she had vodka before the deadly accident.
Prior to the car crash on April 27, 2021, Beauvais reportedly posted a one-hour-and 51-minute Facebook Live video, as part of her 'Face the Reality' radio show where she addressed the trial of White ex-cop Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. This is when she slammed police officers and the justice system and played the N.W.A song 'F**k Tha Police'. In the video, Beauvais is seen vaping and drinking an unknown dark liquid from a plastic cup and, at one point, washes down the contents of a red shot glass with a bottle of Snapple. It was later found that she had almost double the permitted legal limit of alcohol even hours after the hit-and-run.
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What are the charges against Jessica Beauvais?
During her court appearance, Beauvais reportedly insisted that she did not deserve to be arrested. While narrating her case, prosecutors stated how she had whined complained about the accident after her arrest. "Why did my first accident have to be a cop?" she reportedly said, further adding, "Not that I wanted it to be someone else, but f**k, I've been driving since I was 16 and haven't hit as much as a pothole."
Beauvais was indicted on 13 counts for the death of officer Tsakos. She is facing multiple charges including aggravated manslaughter, manslaughter, aggravated criminally negligent homicide, and vehicular manslaughter.
She pleaded not guilty to the charges and was denied bail. According to Daily Mail, her 13-year-old son and other family members were present in the court at the time. If convicted, she can face up to 15 years in prison.
Meanwhile, Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch branded Beauvais as 'evil' saying, "She doesn't look evil but her actions created evil. She has to answer for what she's done. She has to pay for the consequences that those hateful words and those evil actions caused to a police officer and his family."
"This is a heartbreaking case that has left the police officer's parents, his widow and their two young children and our entire community mourning his loss," Melinda Katz, Queens District Attorney, said after Beauvais's arraignment.
