Manhattan Real Estate Developer Indicted on Vehicular Homicide Charge in Hamptons Crash
A grand jury indicted New York City real estate developer Sean Ludwick last week on 13 criminal charges, including vehicular homicide, manslaughter, and drunken driving in a fatal accident. Cumulatively, Ludwick faces up to 32 years in prison.
In August, prosecutors allege, Ludwick drunkenly wrecked his Porsche in Noyac, on the Hamptons, killing his friend, Paul Hansen. Ludwick is accused of pulling Hansen’s body out of the car, dumping it on the side of the road outside his house, and driving away.
The top charge is aggravated vehicular homicide in a fatal accident where the driver had a blood alcohol level of over .18 percent. This charge may well have been the one that caused a delay in presenting the case to a grand jury: Mr. Ludwick’s blood was drawn several hours after the crash, meaning District Attorney Thomas Spota’s office would have to mathematically back the number they received to what the actual alcohol level in Mr. Ludwick’s blood was at the time of the crash to the satisfaction of the grand jury.
There are also two charges of aggravated vehicular homicide, according to court records, because within the past 10 years Mr. Ludwick had pleaded guilty to driving with ability impaired by alcohol. Though the prior charge was a reduction from misdemeanor drunken driving, which he was originally accused of, its presence in his history triggered the elevated charge.
Ludwick is also charged with manslaughter and several misdemeanors, including drunken driving. He is scheduled to be arraigned at the beginning of January.
Hansen, with whom Ludwick is reportedly seen drinking in security footage taken from a bar the two were at the night of the deadly crash, was 53. He is survived by his wife and two young sons. His family filed a civil suit against Ludwick in October.
Reportedly, at a hearing in September, the disgraced co-founder of BlackHouse Development—previously accused of stalking and breaking into an ex-girlfriend’s apartment—flipped through stacks of cash to pass the time.
Photo via Sean Ludwick/Facebook. Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.