Orr Says His Attorney 'Begged' Him To Turn Himself In After Fatal Accident

At his sentencing on Wednesday morning, Edward L. Orr, who hit and killed a pedestrian in Amagansett in October, said he wished he had listened to the advice of his attorney and his parents.

Suffolk County Criminal Court Judge William Condon sentenced him to 2 to 6 years in state prison, as expected. The 31-year-old man expects to serve about 5 of those years due to his prior felony conviction. 

"He begged me repeatedly to turn myself in," Orr said of his attorney, Gordon Ryan, who represented him at the proceeding in Suffolk County Criminal Court. "You already made a big mistake, don't make it any worse," was the counseling Orr said he received.

Instead of turning himself in, Orr staged another accident to try and cover up the damage to his Jeep and had it voluntarily repossessed. After zeroing in on Orr about three months later, police found the Jeep in an auction lot in New Jersey. He was arrested in early February.

Ryan said outside of court that Orr came to him just two days after the Oct. 23 accident and admitted he was the driver. Had Ryan went to police with the information, he would have lost his law license, he said. They spoke five to six times over the next two weeks, he said. Orr only confessed after police detectives brought him on Feb. 7.

At the time of the accident, Orr was just two weeks shy of completing probation on a 2009 conviction of third-degree grand larceny. In fact, he appeared before Judge Condon in the months following the accident.

The Suffolk County District Attorney's office recommended 2 to 6 years on the top charge of leaving the scene of the accident in which John Judge, 61, was killed while walking across Montauk Highway. Orr also received a sentence of 1 1/2 to 3 years for the second count of tampering with physical evidence, a felony related to Orr's attempts to cover up damage to his vehicle, and 1 year on a probation violation, all of which will run concurrently to the first sentence.

Though Orr admitted to hitting Judge — whom he said he thought was actually a deer — he maintains the accident wasn't his fault.

He turned his head away from the judge for a moment to look at Judge's friends Alison Lupo and Lea Jarvis, who were sitting in the courtroom. "I didn't cause the accident. What I did later was my biggest mistake." Orr said. "I am so sorry for what happened to your friend."

Orr also apologized to his parents, who were also seated in the courtroom with his uncle, and his attorney, for the terrible position he said he put them in. Outside of court, Orr's father only said, "It's a tragic situation. It's a shame."

Ryan lives in Amagansett and has known the Lupo family for decades — their children were in the same class in school. Orr mentioned how difficult it was for his attorney during the four-month police investigation.

Condon said he gave Orr credit for "manning up." He said the probation department and his counselor at Phoenix House, whom he visited just before the accident occurred, were happy with his progress during his probation.

Ann Marie Jazylo, a license mental health counselor and certified alcohol and substance abuse counselor, signed an affidavit entered into the record on Wednesday that he did not appear intoxicated "just minutes" before the accident.

"Had you called the police yourself," Condon said, "Who knows? Mr. Judge may perhaps still be here."

Condon said he hoped that Orr would use his time in prison wisely and that he remains repentant and sober.

Ryan requested that Orr be recommended for the "Shock Treatment" program, a prison boot camp looked upon favorably by the parole boards, but the request was denied. The DA's office opposed the request because it was not mentioned during the plea bargain.

Lupo, whose husband Tony Lupo was best friends with Judge for 42 years and has previously said the expected sentence was not nearly enough, became emotional, her eyes welling up with tears. She said it pained her to know that not only Orr's attorney, but his parents knew for so many months. "They did an injustice to their son by not saying anything," she said. "I would have told my son, 'I love you. I will support you, but this is what we are doing.'"

Jarvis agreed. "I would have taking my son by the ear and dragged him down there," she said.

What do you think of what Edward Orr had to say? Tell us in the comments below.