Nov 17, 2008 7:36 pm US/Eastern
NYC Murder Suspect Kills 2 In Queens DWI Crash
NYPD: Drunk L.I. Man Crashed Into Cab, Kills 2; Already A Suspect In 2006 Homicide Case
SECAUCUS, N.J. (CBS) ―
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Two women are dead after riding in a livery cab that was struck by an SUV whose driver was arrested for suspicion of drunken driving. The accident happened shortly after 3 a.m.
CBS
Two families are mourning the loss of a mother and daughter. The women were killed Sunday in a cab crash in Queens.
Now, CBS 2 HD has learned the man accused of killing them was also a murder suspect from two years ago, and the family pain is spreading across state lines.
One New Jersey father said he wasn't surprised to find out that the man charged with killing his son two years ago is now charged with killing two women in Queens.
"Every day, every day, something reminds me of him," Thomas Whitney Sr. said.
"I knew it was coming because he shouldn't have been out on the street."
Police said Daryush Omar's blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit when he crashed into a livery cab Sunday morning, killing a 30-year-old passenger and the driver, Bessy Velasquez, a hardworking single mom.
"I just want you to know that I lost one of the greatest persons in my life," daughter Bessy Velasquez said.
Omar was arrested in 2006 after allegedly kicking Thomas Whitney Jr. to death outside a Chelsea nightclub.
"I am outraged. I feel so bad for those two families. This shouldn't have happened," Whitney Sr. said.
Sources tell CBS 2 HD that Omar had to be released on that charge because prosecutors could not gather enough evidence to indict him.
"Because of the witnesses, not enough witnesses, he should have been deported at least," Whitney Sr. said.
A spokesperson for the district attorney's office said that Omar, a Pakistani citizen, was due back in court on Dec. 12.
The case, the spokesperson said, "is pending and the investigation into the homicide continues."
Sources say that during the investigation, prosecutors discovered an immigration violation and an immigration judge ordered him to wear an ankle bracelet that monitored -- but did not limit -- his movements. Omar was wearing the bracelet at the time of Sunday's accident.
"I don't understand a justice system that allows a murderer out on the street with no recourse," Effie Delimarkos said.
Thomas Whitney Jr.'s father said he hopes the two witnesses who flagged down an ambulance when his son was murdered in 2006 now come forward so they can put Omar behind bars for good.
Omar is being held right now without bail at Rikers Island.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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