MINEOLA, NY—Jorge Bonilla Gutierrez, a Freeport resident, has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a deadly DWI crash in West Hempstead that resulted in the death of a six-year-old girl.
On Wednesday, in front of Judge Terence Murphy, 18-year-old Gutierrez admitted to Manslaughter in the Second Degree, Assault in the Second Degree, two counts of Assault in the Third Degree, and Driving While Intoxicated Per Se. His sentencing is scheduled for July 30, where he faces six to 12 years in prison.
District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly detailed the events of the tragic incident, which occurred on August 7, 2023, at about 2:20 a.m. Gutierrez, who had a blood alcohol content more than twice the legal limit, sped through a red light and collided with the back of a Toyota Corolla on Hempstead Turnpike. The impact propelled the Corolla into a tree and caused the defendant’s Nissan Pathfinder to flip several times.
The crash claimed the life of Katerine Vanegas-Hernandez, just days before her seventh birthday, and left her brother with a fractured spine and their mother with multiple broken ribs. Following the crash, police found empty beer cans inside and near Gutierrez’s vehicle. A subsequent blood test showed a blood alcohol content of 0.17%.
DA Donnelly urged the public to avoid driving under the influence, highlighting the devastating consequences of such actions on the road.
