US News

CORRECTION OFFICER CHARGED IN DEATH CRASH

A Rikers Island correction officer has been indicted on charges of murder and vehicular manslaughter for a New Year’s Eve car crash that killed three Long Island students, sources told The Post.

Officer Edwin Rodriguez, of Medford, L.I., will be arraigned tomorrow morning on the indictment, which accuses him of “depraved indifference” in three counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Norma Vestal, 17, Matthew Marcotrigiano, 21, and Lee Trent, 16.

If convicted, Rodriguez faces a maximum of 25 years to life behind bars on each of the murder counts.

He’s also charged with DWI.

The murder charges “represent a strategic change in the way my office will deal with drunk drivers who cause multiple fatalities,” Suffolk County DA James Catterson said.

Catterson’s spokesman Drew Biondo declined to detail the charges against Rodriguez before he is arraigned tomorrow in Riverhead by state Supreme Court Justice Louis Ohlig.

However, a source said Rodriguez is also charged with three counts of vehicular manslaughter and faces assault charges related to the injuries against the sole survivor, Angelette Coffey, 19, of Flanders.

The searing indictment obtained by The Post also charges Rodriguez with drunken driving, speeding, swerving between lanes, tailgating at high speed, and driving on the shoulder of the Long Island Expressway before the crash.

When contacted at home, Vestal’s father choked back tears when informed of the indictment.

“I’m glad that he’s been charged with murder, but nothing is going to bring back my daughter. The pain is still so bad,” said Alvin Vestal.

A cousin of Marcotrigiano said he hopes Rodriguez will be put away forever. “This man should go to jail for life for what he did. We’re still struggling to pick up the pieces and try to go on with life after the tragedy,” said John Marcotrigiano, reached at home in Bohemia.

The holiday horror occurred 20 minutes before midnight on Dec. 31, after Rodriguez had finished a shift at Rikers Island, authorities say.

The four friends were on their way to a New Year’s Eve party.

A Highway Patrol officer arrested Rodriguez after he appeared unsteady on his feet, allegedly with glassy eyes and alcohol on his breath.

Rodriguez, a 13-year veteran, refused to submit to a Breathalyzer drunk test, but a hospital blood test later revealed a blood-alcohol level of .10, and the officer was charged with drunken driving. He was later suspended from his job.