Julio Acevedo, the man charged with vehicular manslaughter in the hit-and-run deaths of a young Orthodox couple and their baby, pleaded not guilty on Thursday, according to the NY Daily News.

Acevedo was initially charged with leaving the scene of a crime and criminal negligent homicide, but a few days ago the Brooklyn District Attorney announced vehicular manslaughter charges as well.

The addition of the three manslaughter counts increased his potential jail time to 15 years; in light of his prior criminal record, however, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Defense attorney Kathleen Julian implied that the added charges were a result of pressure from the Orthodox community.

“We’re disappointed with the upgraded charges,” Julian said. “Like similar cases in recent events, I hope it’s not motivated by public pressure.”

The Daily News said Julian was speaking of the exoneration of David Ranta, found guilty in 1990 of killing Chasidic rabbi Chaskel Werzberger. Ranta is being released from prison today. At the time of his arrest, there was a good deal of pressure from Orthodox groups, according to the News.

“It’s the same community,” Julian noted. “There was public pressure and now that case is falling apart.”

In Acevedo’s case, the DA’s office said they have eyewitnesses who saw Acevedo driving recklessly, more than double the speed limit, and then surveying the damage post-impact before fleeing.

Acevedo is due back in court May 31. A DWI case against him from two weeks prior to the crash has been included in the new case.

When he was arraigned for the DWI, the judge released him without bail and did not take away his license, even though a suspension was mandated by law, the News said.

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Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes has increased the charges against Julio Acevedo, the alleged driver in the March 3 hit-and-run that killed a young Orthodox couple and their baby, adding manslaughter in the second degree.

Acevedo spent several days telling news outlets he was going to turn himself in, before he was arrested by police officers in a Pennsylvania parking lot on March 7.

He was indicted on March 12 after police charged him with leaving the scene of an accident, criminally negligent homicide, and vehicular manslaughter.

Prosecutors did not file the vehicular manslaughter charges until today’s indictment.

If convicted, Acevedo could face up to life in prison.

According to the DA’s investigation, Acevedo was driving almost 70 miles-per-hour down Kent Avenue in Williamsburg on March 3, more than twice the speed limit.

When his car struck the livery taxi carrying the Glaubers, who were on their way to a hospital check-up related to the pregnancy, witnesses reportedly saw him get out, observe the damage and run.

The impact sent pregnant Raizy Glauber flying out of the car. She was found underneath a tractor trailer nearby. Doctors were able to deliver her baby three months premature by c-section, but the baby died the next day.

The witnesses were firefighters and a civilian driver, all of whom apparently saw Acevedo speeding and “passing cars recklessly” moments before the impact. The witnesses reported hearing Acevedo’s car accelerate and seeing it increase its speed.

Acevedo has previously served time in jail on manslaughter charges, and was charged with a DWI last month, though the court reportedly did not suspend his license, according to a report from NY1.

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A 19-year-old Queens man was arrested Sunday after he crashed into a taxi on Grand Central Parkway, killing the driver.

Ansumana Dukuly, 38, was driving westbound near Exit 17 in Fresh Meadows at about 3:20 a.m. when the driver of a 2001 Honda sedan smashed into him, forcing the vehicle to hit the median, police said.

Dukuly was pronounced dead at the scene.

Roberto Depena fled the scene, but was later apprehended by police and arrested.

He has been charged with manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident, criminally negligent homicide, driving while intoxicated, speeding and underage drinking.

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A 22-year-old real estate analyst was killed by a hit-and-run driver early Saturday as he tried to cross the West Side Highway.

Andrew Quinn, a recent graduate of Cornell University, was struck just before 3 a.m. at the corner of W. 23rd Street. He was then rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to police.

No arrests had been made as of Sunday afternoon.

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The suspect in a fatal Brooklyn car crash that killed a young pregnant woman, her husband and ultimately their baby, has been charged with three felony counts of criminally negligent homicide. 

Julio Acevedo, 44, was arraigned Thursday night and also charged with leaving the scene of the accident, excessive speed, assault and reckless driving. Police had also charged Acevedo with vehicular manslaughter for the death of the baby who was born after the accident, but prosecutors did not file that charge, The New York Times reports.

Raizy and Nachman Glauber, both 21, were on their way to the hospital in a livery cab just after midnight on Sunday because the woman was not feeling well. Acevedo, driving a borrowed BMW at more than 60 miles per hour, slammed into the car carrying the Glaubers, killing them. The premature baby was born via C-section at Bellevue Hospital, but died the next day.

The driver of the cab is recovering from his injuries and spoke to reporters on Thursday. He said he cannot remember the accident, but he knows the area well and he did not break any traffic laws.

Acevedo, an ex-con who was on the run for three days after the crash, could face anywhere from 15 years to life in prison. He was arrested just last month for drunk driving and previously served eight years in prison for a shooting death in 1987.

A lawyer for the suspect said on Thursday that the crash was “an accident, a horrible accident.”

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A suspect in a hit-and-run that left two people and their unborn baby dead has surrendered to police, according to a report.

Julio Acevedo was arrested by cops in Pennsylvania this afternoon, according to the Daily News.

He surrendered to police officers in the parking lot of a store, the newspaper reported.

He was reportedly taken into an SUV with New York plates.

Metro’s original story is below:

Julio Acevedo, the suspect in the Williamsburg hit-and-run this past weekend that resulted in the death of a pregnant woman, her husband, and their baby boy, told the NY Daily News he is ready to turn himself in, the News reports.

Police have said Acevedo is the driver of the vehicle that hit the taxi Nachman and Raizy Glauber were in. Witnesses saw the driver jump out of his car and run away.

Police Commissioner Paul Browne said that Acevedo was driving “at least 60 miles an hour when [he] hit the other vehicle.”

The phone call with the Daily News was reportedly set up by a man Acevedo was once in jail with. Acevedo was imprisoned in 1987 on a manslaughter conviction.

Acevedo reportedly told the News his “heart goes out to” the couple, and said he was unaware they had died until he saw it on the news.

Acevedo also claimed he fled the scene because he was being shot at. A law enforcement source said that there were no reports of “shots fired” in that area that night.

Acevedo received a DWI last month, so was legally prohibited from driving at all, the law enforcement source noted.

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The baby who was born after his parents were killed in a Brooklyn car crash on Sunday has reportedly died.

Community Spokesman Isaac Abraham said the baby died around 5:30 a.m. on Monday.

Police are still searching for the driver and a passenger of the BMW vehicle that crashed into the car carrying Nachman and Raizy Glauber. The couple, both 21, was on the way to the hospital because the pregnant woman was not feeling well.

Doctors had delivered the premature baby via C-section. A funeral for the couple was held on Sunday.

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UPDATE: A suspect in a hit-and-run that left two people and their unborn baby dead has surrendered to police, according to a report.

Julio Acevedo was arrested by cops in Pennsylvania this afternoon, according to the Daily News.

He surrendered to police officers in the parking lot of a store, the newspaper reported.

He was reportedly taken into an SUV with New York plates.

Metro’s original story is below.

A little after midnight on Sunday, a car accident near the Brooklyn Navy Yard resulted in the death of two passengers, a married couple, according to police reports.

The woman was 24 weeks pregnant, police said. The baby was delivered premature at the hospital and survived.

Police believe that the couple was on their way to Long Island College Hospital for an OB/GYN check-up.

The accident occurred when a grey 2010 BMW sedan hit the driver’s side of a black livery cab. According to a law enforcement source, witnesses said the BMW was speeding.

The pregnant woman in the backseat of the cab was thrown from the vehicle on impact, police said.

Police sources noted that there is a stop sign on Wilson Street at Kent Avenue, but none on Kent Avenue. The cab was traveling westbound on Wilson Street, and the BMW was traveling northbound on Kent Avenue.

The occupants of the BMW reportedly jumped out of their car and ran away. Police said witnesses reported that the driver was male and the passenger was female.

The driver of the livery cab was taken to Bellevue Hospital and is in stable condition.

The couple in the backseat were pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. The man was taken to Beth Israel and the pregnant woman was taken to Bellevue.

Doctors at Bellevue were able to safely deliver the baby by Caesarean section post-mortem.

The baby’s parents, Nathan Gluber and Raizi Gluber, were 21 years old.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

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According to the NYPD, 35-year-old Raul Delacruz and a 24-year-old woman were crossing the intersection of Keap Street and Borinquen Road in Williamsburg around 5 am, when they were both struck by a 2004 Chevy Malibu driven by 27-year-old Adam Recio.

Both people were thrown in the westbound lane of traffic, where Delacruz was hit again and came to rest under another car. The driver of that car stayed on the scene, but Recio fled in the Malibu, police said.

Delacruz was pronounced dead at the scene and the woman was taken to Elmhurst hospital where she is in serious condition, according to police.

Officers later found the Malibu abandoned. By Thursday afternoon, police arrested and charged Recio, a Brooklyn resident, with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious injury.

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While the date of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s wedding may still be a mystery, some of the other details are coming together — like who will be by the bride’s side through the ceremony. Jolie has reportedly enlisted her brother, James Haven, to serve as her maid of honor — of sorts — for the big day, according to Heat. “James was thrilled to accept his little sister’s offer. Angie has always related to men better than women,” the source says. “As well as growing up with James, she bonded more with the jocks than the cheerleaders in high school.” It should make for an interesting bachelorette party, at least.

Gwyneth Paltrow isn’t above letting her two children — 8-year-old daughter Apple and 6-year-old son Moses, watch a little TV, but she has some conditions. “I only let them watch TV in French of Spanish,” Paltrow tells InStyle magazine. “When I’m in France, I go to [Boulevard] Beaumarchais and buy all their cartoons.”

It looks like Madonna is looking to bury the hatchet with Lady Gaga like she did with Elton John, dedicating her song “Masterpiece” to the younger singer at a recent concert in Atlantic City, according to Us Weekly. “You want to know something? I love her,” Madonna told the crowd. “I do love her. Imitation is the highest form of flattery.” She even teased an impending team-up between the two, adding: “One day, very soon, we’re going to be on stage together. Just you wait.”

Sofia Vergara didn’t have as nice of a night out in Hollywood recently as she’d been expecting. The “Modern Family” star hit the Parlor to meet up with a group of friends but was denied access as the bar was at capacity, according to Hollyscoop. According to onlookers, Vergara blew up at the bouncer, shouting, “Do you know who I am?” A friend who was already inside came out to see what was going on and joined in yelling at the bouncer before Vergara stormed off. She later took a moment to blast the venue on Twitter, posting that it is the “worst sports bar in LA!”

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Jessica Altruz sped through a yellow traffic light on West 93rd Street at Columbus Avenue and killed Margaret Fisher, a 67-year-old retired nurse who was walking home with her groceries.

Altruz faces up to 15 years in prison.

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