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Ryan Williams, 29, of Poughkeepsie, has been sentenced to a term of between 25 years to life in prison after he was found guilty earlier this year of murder, several counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and aggravated operation of a motor vehicle.
At approximately 7:30 p.m. on July 1 last year, Williams attempted to evade police on Route 299 in the Town of Lloyd when they attempted to stop him for a violation.
Williams reached nearly 130 mph during the high-speed chase before he sideswiped another vehicle, crossed into the opposite lanes and struck a Ford pick-up truck head-on, killing 39-year-old New Paltz resident Danielle Pecoraro. It was later determined that she died of blunt force trauma as a result of the crash.
The force of the crash, near the South Street intersection, tore the Porsche in half. At the time fo the crash, Williams’ blood alcohol content was at .33, more than four times the legal limit.
"The community lost a gem of a woman, but I lost my best friend," one of Pecoraro's daughters said, according to a release from the Ulster County District Attorney's Office. "Why did I live and she die, I live every day with the pain of losing my best friend."
Williams, who hasn’t had a valid driver’s license in nearly a decade, reportedly had a history of crimes and have attempted to flee from police in several separate incidents.
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