Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a Freeport man was sentenced today to six to 12 years in prison for an August 2023 crash in West Hempstead that killed a six-year-old girl.
Jorge Bonilla Gutierrez, 19, pleaded guilty on June 5, 2024, 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 was sentenced today to six to 12 years in prison. NCDA recommended a sentence of six to 15 years in prison.
“Katerine Vanegas Hernandez was a bright light in her family, a best friend to her little brother, and a happy child excited to celebrate her seventh birthday in just two short days. This defendant, driving drunk and recklessly on Hempstead Turnpike, stole young Katerine’s life when he struck her mother’s car and tore apart this close and loving family,” said DA Donnelly. “Katerine’s loss – so senselessly and tragically at the hands of a drunk driver – is unfathomable. Our thoughts remain with her mother and brother as they continue to mourn. Halfway through the summer season it bears repeating: do not drink and get behind the wheel. Do not destroy another family.”
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 under the supervision of Bureau Chief Michael Bushwack and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for the Litigation Division Kevin Higgins. The defendant is represented by Taryn Shechter, Esq.