Tragic Hit-and-Run: White Woman Granted Probation in Heartbreaking New York Case

Photo byRoman KraftonUnsplash

In recent news, a white woman was recently granted probation by a New York judge in a case that has evoked strong emotions due to its tragic nature. The incident involved the woman being captured on camera running over a grieving mother near her daughter's memorial, mere feet away from where the young girl was tragically killed.The heartbreaking event took place in a New York neighborhood in 2018, where Evelyn Rodriguez's daughter, Kayla Cuevas, had lost her life just two years earlier. Following her daughter's untimely death, Evelyn had actively campaigned against gang violence and was present in the neighborhood to organize a vigil in her daughter's memory. Prior to this solemn occasion, both Evelyn and Freddy Cuevas, Kayla's father, arrived at the memorial only to find it desecrated and vandalized.

Evelyn and Freddy later engaged Ann Marie Drago in a discussion concerning the alleged disturbance to the memorial. Drago explained that she was in the process of selling her mother's residence and believed that the memorial's presence could potentially lower the property's value. Amidst a heated exchange, Drago chose to remain in her vehicle but unexpectedly accelerated, resulting in Evelyn's tragic demise mere steps from her daughter's memorial. The incident was recorded in its entirety.

In Drago's initial trial in 2020, she received a nine-month prison sentence upon conviction. Sixteen months later, following an appeal, the verdict was successfully overturned. Subsequently, in 2023, a jury reached an impasse regarding the homicide charge, yet she was found guilty of misdemeanor larceny related to the removal of items from a memorial. In her third legal proceeding, Drago opted to plead guilty to criminally negligent homicide. Despite the prosecution's recommendation of a three-year jail term, the presiding judge ultimately decided to impose zero jail time but sentenced Drago to five years of probation.

"We didn't get the justice that we was looking for, as far as that's considered," Cuevas said. "Her getting probation, that's like a slap on the hand. She's going to be free. She's going to be living her life, but judgment day will come one day."

"I will never forgive you for what you did," Evelyn's daughter Kaitlyn said. "There will still be no peace in me or my family's heart," Evelyn's other daughter Kelsey said. |