Sentencing Nears for Man Convicted in May D.W.I. Death

Jesse Werner Steudte, seen here before his court appearance in Southampton on May 3, the day after he was charged with driving while intoxicated charges in connection with the accident that killed a bicycle.

T.E. McMorrow

Feb. 4, 2015

T.E. McMorrow

The fiancée of a Scottish man killed by a drunken driver on County Road 39 in Tuckahoe last May addressed Acting Supreme Court Justice Fernando Camacho on Tuesday, part of the final step before the sentence is handed down for a Southampton man who caused his death.

Jesse Werner Steudte, 22, plead guilty in December to two felonies, including vehicular manslaughter, for recklessly causing the death of Neil Fyfe, 28, on May 2. Mr. Steudte, who was legally intoxicated at the time, struck and killed Mr. Fyfe, who was crossing County Road 39 on his bicycle at the intersection of Sandy Hollow Road after completing his first day of work as a caddy at the nearby Sebonack Golf Club. Bystanders tried to revive Mr. Fyfe, but he was pronounced dead on arrival at Southampton Hospital.

On Tuesday, Colin Astarita, Mr. Steudte's attorney, delivered many letters from his friends and family to the court.

Then Jennifer Mouncy, Mr. Fyfe's fiancée, addressed the court. She had flown in from Aberdeen, Scotland, and said she had known Mr. Fyfe since they were teenagers. They had planned to marry last October. "It was very emotional," Mr. Astarita said afterwards via text.

After Tuesday's session was over, Ms. Mouncy and Mr. Steudte spoke quietly in the hall outside the courtroom in Central Islip for some time, according to Mr. Astarita. "Hopefully, this will help the healing process for both families," he said.

Actual sentencing, originally scheduled for Tuesday, is to be pronounced on Feb. 27. The delay is to allow Justice Camacho to review the letters and various reports about Mr. Steudte.

When Mr. Steudte pleaded guilty to the charges on Dec. 12, he did so without any guarantee in terms of sentence, Mr. Astarita said at the time. District Attorney Thomas Spota's office has asked Justice Camacho for a sentence of 5 to 15 years. Mr. Astarita said he is hoping for a lesser sentence. "We try to help the court know the person," Mr. Astarita said. "This was a horrible, tragic mistake, with no intent."