Attorneys deliver closing arguments in Farr-Occhiogrosso trial

The defense called it an unavoidable accident. Prosecutors argued that it was an alcohol-fueled crash. Whatever the interpretation, the outcome of the trial of James Farr in a Mineola courtroom was in the hands of a jury this week. 

The prosecution of Farr, an ex-Marine from East Garden City who struck and killed two brothers with his BMW in East Meadow on Aug. 23, 2009, wrapped up on Tuesday with attorneys making their closing arguments.

In a trial that spanned nearly a month, the attorneys and witnesses presented the often gruesome details of a crash that prosecutors say was caused by an intoxicated Farr, who ran into Joseph and Thomas Occhiogrosso on Hempstead Turnpike near the corner of Conti Square Boulevard. 

The Occhiogrosso brothers, of East Meadow, had left RC Dugans on foot after a night of drinking with their friends in the minutes before they died. 

Farr, who prosecutors said was also drinking with friends that night at RC Dugans, faces multiple felony counts of vehicular manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide as well as drunken driving charges, the sentence for which could be as long as 15 years in prison. 

During closing arguments, Farr’s defense attorney, Gregory Grizopoulos, criticized prosecutors for failing to produce evidence that his client’s alcohol consumption that evening caused what he called an “unavoidable accident.” Grizopoulos contended that testimony and evidence backed his contention that Farr did not speed or drive recklessly and in fact could not steer clear of the victims, who were not in a crosswalk. 

Grizopoulos implored the jury to punish Farr for DWI, but not the manslaughter and homicide charges. “This was just a car accident,” he said. “This had nothing to do with James’s driving and this had nothing to do with James’s drinking. 

“This is not a crime,” Grizopoulos added. “This is a horrific, tragic, sad car accident that was unavoidable.”