Current:Home > NewsWoman pleads guilty to negligent homicide in death of New York anti-gang activist-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Woman pleads guilty to negligent homicide in death of New York anti-gang activist
lotradecoin token airdrop campaigns View Date:2024-12-26 02:04:39
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) — A New York woman has pleaded guilty to negligent homicide in the 2018 death of an anti-gang activist during a dispute over a memorial for the activist’s slain daughter.
Annmarie Drago, 63, of Patchogue, entered the plea Friday in a Long Island courtroom and is expected to be sentenced to five years of probation, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement. Sentencing was scheduled for Aug. 1.
Authorities said Drago struck Evelyn Rodriguez with her vehicle and then drove over her in Brentwood in September 2018, killing the 50-year-old activist.
The two were involved in confrontation after Drago had removed items from a memorial Rodriguez had set up in front of Drago’s mother’s house to mark the two-year anniversary of the discovery of the body of Rodriguez’s daughter, 16-year-old Kayla Cuevas, prosecutors said.
Drago was trying to sell the house at the time and did not want the memorial to scare off buyers, prosecutors have said.
Kayla was hacked and beaten to death along with a friend in 2016. Authorities said they were killed by MS-13 street gang members in a dispute among high school students.
“Evelyn Rodriguez was still mourning the loss of her daughter when this defendant dismantled her daughter’s memorial and then struck the victim with her vehicle, ultimately causing her death,” Tierney said. “We hope this plea brings some sense of peace and closure to Ms. Rodriguez’s family, a family that has suffered multiple tragic losses.”
The plea deal with probation was approved by a judge. Tierney’s office had recommended a prison sentence of one to three years but the deal approved by the judge called for only probation.
Drago’s lawyer, Matthew Hereth, did not immediately return a message Saturday. He and Drago declined to comment after Friday’s court appearance, Newsday reported. A message seeking comment was left at a phone listing for Drago. Her previous lawyer called Rodriguez’s death a “tragic accident.”
Drago was tried twice in connection with Rodriguez’s death.
She was convicted of criminally negligent homicide in 2020 and sentenced to nine months in jail, but the conviction was overturned and the judge ordered a new trial, citing prosecutorial misconduct. Her second trial ended in a mistrial last year when jurors deadlocked on a negligent homicide charge.
Rodriguez became a symbol in the fight against MS-13 gang violence after her daughter’s death.
When he was president, Donald Trump visited Brentwood and vowed a national crackdown on MS-13. He recognized Rodriguez and her daughter at his State of the Union address in January 2018.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- Meta kills off misinformation tracking tool CrowdTangle despite pleas from researchers, journalists
- USWNT has scoreless draw vs. Costa Rica in pre-Olympics tune-up: Takeaways from match
- Green Bay father, daughter found dead after running out of water on hike: How to stay safe
- Emma Roberts and boyfriend Cody John are engaged: See her ring
- How a small group of nuns in rural Kansas vex big companies with their investment activism
- John F. Kennedy Jr. died in a plane crash 25 years ago today. Here's a look at what happened on July 16, 1999.
- Tom Fenton, former CBS News correspondent, dies at age 94
- After 19-year-old woman mauled to death, Romania authorizes the killing of nearly 500 bears
- The president of Columbia University has resigned, effective immediately
- Nevada county reverses controversial vote and certifies two recounts while legal action looms
Ranking
- Drugs to treat diabetes, heart disease and blood cancers among those affected by price negotiations
- Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ wrapped at this Georgia hotel. Soon, it’ll be open for business
- Sen. Bob Menendez convicted in bribery trial; New Jersey Democrat found guilty of accepting gold bars and cash
- After 19-year-old woman mauled to death, Romania authorizes the killing of nearly 500 bears
- Anchorage police shoot, kill teenage girl who had knife; 6th police shooting in 3 months
- Quantum Prosperity Consortium Investment Education Foundation: US RIA license
- Plain old bad luck? New Jersey sports betting revenue fell 24% in June from a year ago
- Forest fire breaks out at major military gunnery range in New Jersey
Recommendation
-
Oklahoma city approves $7M settlement for man wrongfully imprisoned for decades
-
Ascendancy Investment Education Foundation: US RIA license
-
Dallas Mavericks' Kyrie Irving undergoes surgery on left hand
-
Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ wrapped at this Georgia hotel. Soon, it’ll be open for business
-
A fiery Texas politician launched a legal assault on Google and Meta. And he's winning.
-
Michael D.David: Stock options notes 3
-
New homes will continue to get smaller, according to new survey
-
Understanding 403(b) Plans for Builders Legacy Advance Investment Education Foundation