Prosecutor: NYC Developer Accused in Friend's Death Threw "Personal Effects" From Car After Ditching Body
On Monday, the East Hampton Star reports, prosecutors said that Sean Ludwick, the Manhattan real estate developer charged with vehicular homicide in the Hamptons death of his friend Paul Hansen, drunkenly threw Hansen’s belongings into the woods after dumping his body on the side of the road.
Ludwick was arraigned Monday on multiple felony charges relating to Hansen’s death in the August 30th crash. Prosecutors said Ludwick, whose blood alcohol level, four hours after his arrest, was .18 of 1 percent. (They had to obtain a warrant to draw the allegedly uncooperative Ludwick’s blood.)
Allegedly, Ludwick crashed his 2013 Porsche convertible into a utility pole, just a few yards from Hansen’s driveway. From the Star:
After pulling Mr. Hansen from the wrecked car, Mr. Ludwick then drove off in the direction of his Bridgehampton house, said John Scott Prudenti, the prosecutor. He had two flat tires and the two rims were soon damaged as well, leaving gouge marks in the road, he said. Mr. Ludwick got about a quarter of a mile before the car stopped moving. At that point, Mr. Prudenti said, Mr. Ludwick found several of Mr. Hansen’s personal items in the car and threw those into a nearby stand of woods.
Asked after the arraignment if Mr. Hansen was still alive when Mr. Ludwick allegedy pulled him from the car, Mr. Prudenti declined to comment. Until Monday, police and prosecutors had not commented on allegations that Mr. Ludwick had removed Mr. Hansen from the car.
According to the New York Post, Prudenti told the judge Ludwick left Hansen to die “feet from his home...where his own children play in the driveway.”
“There were some personal effects from the victim, Mr. Hansen, that he threw out into the woods,” Prudenti said. Ludwick plead not guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide and eight other counts on Monday.
Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.