NYC man who killed taxi driver in hit-and-run pleads guilty

MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) - A New York City man has pleaded guilty to killing a Long Island taxi driver in a high-speed hit-and-run last year.

Twenty-four-year-old Duke Obule, of Queens, is expecting a sentence of 5 to 10 years in prison in a plea deal with prosecutors in a Nassau County court. Newsday reports (https://nwsdy.li/2rEu5dx ) the plea deal came the day the trial was scheduled to start, and prosecutors were seeking a maximum sentence.

Obule hit Paul Mitacek’s taxi while traveling at 105 mph in Franklin Square in April 2016. The taxi ended up wrapped around a pole from the force of the impact, and Mitacek died shortly after the collision.

Obule fled the scene of the crash, leaving bystanders to help Mitacek’s passenger who survived with a broken ankle. Police found Obule later near the scene.

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Information from: Newsday, https://www.newsday.com