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Ezzial Williams, of Newburgh, pleaded guilty in Orange County Court to vehicular manslaughter on Tuesday, Feb. 14, right before a trial was to begin, said Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler.
Under the plea agreement will be sentenced to three and one half to seven years in prison, which is the maximum permitted under law, when she is sentenced on Tuesday, April 25.
As alleged in documents filed and statements made in court, Williams was driving on Route 32 in the Town of Cornwall on Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021, in excess of the posted speed limit when she crossed over the double yellow line and crashed into the vehicle being driven by a local vascular surgeon.
The crash killed the surgeon. Prior to operating the vehicle, Williams had smoked cocaine, some of which was recovered from a crack pipe found in Williams’s belongings after the crash, court documents show.
Members of the New York State Police investigated the crash and determined that the victim’s vehicle was in the proper lane of travel and that the crash was caused as a result of the Wiliams' impairment together with her speed and reckless driving by crossing over the double yellow line, the DA's Office said.
Williams admitted during the plea allocution that she was impaired by cocaine at the time of the collision, was speeding when she crossed over the double yellow line and caused the death of the victim, court documents show.
“Drugged driving is a deadly choice that leads to terrible outcomes,” said Hoovler. “We lost an innocent member of our community whose life was dedicated to helping others. Incidents such as this one are not accidents, they are serious crimes and perpetrators need to be held accountable."
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