Man accused of killing two teens in crash disabled safety features on car
The Selden man accused in a high-speed crash that killed two Levittown teens back in court today.
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Prosecutors at the arraignment said Frank Labidi was allegedly driving over 80 mph on Old Country Road in Hicksville last month when he lost control of his BMW and slammed into a tree. Alexa Duryea and Lindsey Parke, both 19, were killed.
Prosecutors say according to the vehicle crash data recorder, the defendant was driving with 100% full acceleration and no brakes before the crash. They also say Labidi manually disabled the stability control on the vehicle so he could engage in a racing maneuver known as drifting.
The families of the two girls were in the courtroom today and say they are devastated at how their lives have changed so suddenly.
“The two of them, when they were together, it was nothing but laughs and hugs and love,” said Haley Parke, Lindsey Parke’s sister. “There was no reason that they shouldn't have made it a home.
“They thought they were safe getting in the car with him, driving a couple miles back home. And he didn't keep them safe,” said Annette Sitzman-Parke, Lindsey Parke’s mother.
Labidi was charged with two counts of manslaughter and two counts of assault and pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on January 30.
Labidi will be back in court March 19 for a grand jury indictment.
