Renewed Hope in the Devesh Samtani Hit-and-Run Case
The 18-year-old was killed in August 2021, with the driver set to serve no jail time. New evidence might now lead to justice, according to the family.
On August 10, 2021, Devesh Samtani left a party with his cousin, Kabir Kurani, after local police had broken it up. Samtani, 18, had been vacationing in the Hamptons with his family, who live in Hong Kong, and was to start college as a freshman at New York University in the following weeks. Samtani and Kurani were walking on the road, searching for cell service so they could order an Uber to go to Kurani’s home when suddenly, an SUV hit Samtani. The SUV didn’t stop.
Kurani said that he heard what sounded like two bullets and that Samtani flew into the air before falling to the ground, bleeding and unconscious. Kurani took Samtani to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital before family moved him to Stony Brook University Hospital. Three days later, Samtani was declared dead from his injuries.
Police later identified Daniel Campbell, then 19, as the hit-and-run driver. Campbell not only sped away after colliding with Samtani but also switched cars after. Police were able to arrest Campbell because two of the passengers in Campbell’s 10-passenger car took a photo of his license plate and reported the hit-and-run.
The judge presiding over the case originally ruled that Campbell would only serve probation and community service, leading to backlash from those following the case. Recently, however, a celebrity lawyer has taken up the case, bringing new evidence to light and a renewed hope for justice.