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Drunk Driver Who Killed Author From Capital Region In Hit-Run Crash Pleads Guilty

An admitted drunk driver accused of striking an up-and-coming New York author with his car and then leaving her to die in the roadway is facing years in prison.

Nsikak Okure (left) pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide in the death of Albany author Tanisha Brathwaite (right) in Albany County Court on Wednesday, Feb. 15.

Nsikak Okure (left) pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide in the death of Albany author Tanisha Brathwaite (right) in Albany County Court on Wednesday, Feb. 15.

Photo Credit: Albany County District Attorney/CreateSpace Publishing
Tanisha Brathwaite, age 31, died following a hit-and-run crash in Albany on Sept. 14, 2022. Her first book, "Caught in the Storm" was published under the pen name Tani Bee in 2018.

Tanisha Brathwaite, age 31, died following a hit-and-run crash in Albany on Sept. 14, 2022. Her first book, "Caught in the Storm" was published under the pen name Tani Bee in 2018.

Photo Credit: CreateSpace Publishing/Amazon

Albany County resident Nsikak Okure, age 34, of Altamont, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide in Albany County Court on Wednesday, Feb. 15, in the death of Tanisha Brathwaite.

It came more than five months after the 31-year-old Brathwaite, of Albany, was struck on Clinton Avenue in Albany while walking home from work on the evening of Sept. 14, 2022, according to Albany Police.

Albany County prosecutors allege that Okure "recklessly operated a motor vehicle while under the influence of a significant amount of alcohol" when he caused her death.

Okure had initially pleaded not guilty to all counts against him in Brathwaite’s death in November 2022. In court Wednesday, he also pleaded guilty to one count of leaving the scene of an incident without reporting.

He now faces between seven and 24 years in prison when he’s sentenced on April 26.

In addition to her work as a security guard, Brathwaite was an aspiring author, having published her first novel, “Caught in the Storm,” under the pen name Tani Bee in 2018.

In her Amazon profile, the University at Albany graduate described herself as an up-and-coming author from Brooklyn who was working on additional novels.

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