Man accused of killing 2 teens in Hicksville crash faces charges in court
HICKSVILLE, Long Island (WABC) -- A 24-year-old driver returned to court on Thursday to face charges in a speeding crash on Long Island that left two teenagers dead.
Nassau County prosecutors say Frank Labidi was speeding in January when he lost control, hit a tree and then slammed into a building.
The crash killed the 19-year-old passengers in his car, Lindsey Parke and Alexa Duryea.
Labidi now faces two counts of manslaughter and two counts of assault.
Authorities say his vehicle's crash data recorder shows that he hit speeds above 80 mph in a 40 mph zone. Prosecutors say he manually disabled his BMW's safety features so he could drive it like a race car.
"Their lives were unfairly cut short and these dreams never realized because Frank Labidi treated a public roadway like a race track," said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly.
The families of the young women were outside the courtroom on Thursday.
Duryea hoped to become a crime scene investigator and Parke was a volunteer firefighter and EMT from Levittown.
Parke's family is vowing not to stop fighting for her and for other drivers, saying laws need to change and drivers have to slow down.
"Because the girls weren't given a chance, their lives were taken away from them, our families were given life sentences because we have to live without them for the rest of our lives," said the victim's mother Annette Parke.
Prosecutors say Labidi had a commercial license for racing and did it legally in the Poconos. But they say it should not have been on public roadways.
"You're on Old Country Road, what are you doing? You have two young girls in your car that you don't know, you don't get to make that choice for them," said the victim's sister Haley Parke.
Labidi pleaded not guilty and is due back in court on April 28. He remains out on bail.
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