Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a Freeport man pleaded guilty to manslaughter, assault, and other charges for an August 2023 drunken crash in West Hempstead that killed a six-year-old girl.
Jorge Bonilla Gutierrez, 18, pleaded guilty Wednesday before Judge Terence Murphy to Manslaughter in the Second Degree (a C felony), Assault in the Second Degree (a D violent felony), two counts of Assault in the Third Degree (an A misdemeanor), and Driving While Intoxicated Per Se (an unclassified misdemeanor).
The defendant is expected to be sentenced to six to 12 years in prison on July 30, 2024. NCDA recommended a sentence of six to 15 years in prison.
“Jorge Bonilla Gutierrez was more than two times the legal limit for alcohol when he flew through a red light and slammed into the back of a Toyota Corolla, sending the vehicle into a tree and killing six-year-old Katerine Vanegas-Hernandez,” said DA Donnelly. “Katerine’s mother had taken her children out for an early-morning drive to help them sleep and cool down from the summer heat. Last August was a horrific time on our roadways, tragically claiming multiple lives, including Katerine’s just two days shy of her seventh birthday. We continue to implore motorists not to drink and drive this summer.”
DA Donnelly said that, on August 7, 2023, at approximately 2:20 a.m., the defendant was intoxicated, speeding, and drove through a red light when he crashed into the rear of the victim’s vehicle. The victim’s car, a Toyota Corolla, was stopped in the right lane of Hempstead Turnpike, near Westminster Road, with the hazard lights on. The force of the impact sent the Corolla off the roadway and into a tree, while the defendant’s vehicle, a Nissan Pathfinder, flipped multiple times.
Bonilla Gutierrez slammed into the rear driver’s side of the stationary vehicle, causing significant internal injuries to passenger six-year-old Katerine Vanegas-Hernandez. The child was taken to NYU Langone Long Island Hospital and died shortly afterwards.
Katerine was killed two days before her seventh birthday. The victim’s five-year-old brother suffered a fractured spine, while the driver of the Corolla suffered multiple broken ribs.
The defendant was apprehended by a member of the Nassau County Police Department near the crash scene. Empty beer cans were observed inside the defendant’s vehicle and next to the vehicle at the crash scene.
Bonilla Gutierrez was transported to Nassau University Medical Center for broken ribs and a broken nose.
A search warrant for the defendant’s blood taken at the hospital revealed that his blood alcohol content was 0.17% one hour after the crash.
Deputy Bureau Chief Katie Zizza of the Vehicular Crimes Bureau is prosecuting the case. The defendant is represented by Taryn Schechter, Esq.