Man facing motor vehicle homicide charges in Roslindale crash that killed 1, gravely injured another

ROSLINDALE, Mass — A Roxbury man was arraigned Friday in connection with a crash into a Roslinade triple-decker in March that killed one and left another critically injured.

Juan Medina, 20, is charged with motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation, leaving the scene of personal injury or death and failing to yield at an intersection for his alleged role in the deadly March 26 crash.

Prosecutors say, Medina, was driving south on Washington Street around 5 p.m. when he turned into the northbound lane. His sudden movement allegedly caused another car to collide with a minivan and then the triple-decker where Edigio D’Antuony and Joseph Cobb sat on the front porch.

D’Antuony was pronounced dead shortly after the impact while Cobb was hospitalized.

Video shows Medina exiting his vehicle after the crash and talking on a cell phone before driving away, according to the Suffolk County DA’s Office. Investigators located the suspect through surveillance video and witness statements.

Cobb’s daughter, India Rubino, told Boston 25 News in March that her dad’s condition had worsened since the former chef entered the hospital.

When he was first admitted, Cobb was conscious and talking but after two days and becoming hooked to a ventilator, he had gone silent.

“He’s no longer opening his eyes. He’s not breathing on his own. He’s not talking anymore,” explained Rubino. “His life is changed forever.”

Rubino also told Boston 25 News that her father doesn’t know D’Antuony, his best friend, had passed away.

“Out of all the pain, my dad was in, the one thing he wanted was to check on was his best friend,” recalled India Rubino. “I didn’t want to set him back because I didn’t think he was ready.”

Medina will be back in court on June 26 for a probable cause hearing.

“This is a tragic incident made all the more tragic by the fact that it was caused by a driver who simply didn’t wait until the lane was clear to make a turn. That negligent operating action resulted in one man dead, another seriously injured and the driver facing substantial criminal charges. It was all preventable by adhering to basic driving practices,” Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement.

The driver of the other car Medina allegedly caused to swerve and begin the crash has not been charged.

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