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New York judge sentences white woman to probation after being videotaped driving over grieving mother just feet from memorial for dead daughter

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Ann Marie Drago video running over Evelyn Rodriguez

A New York woman who pleaded guilty to striking and killing a mother who became an anti-gang activist after her daughter was murdered by an MS-13 gang member won’t go to prison.

Instead, a judge sentenced Ann Marie Drago, 63, of Patchogue, to five years probation for involuntary manslaughter, denying the district attorney’s request for a sentence of up to three years in prison.

Video of Ann Marie Drago driving over Evelyn Rodriguez
Ann Marie Drago was caught on video running over Evelyn Rodriguez (Source: Screenshots from WCBS-TV)

In 2018, Drago struck and killed 50-year-old Evelyn Rodriguez during an argument over a memorial to Rodriguez’s daughter, 16-year-old Kayla Cuevas, who had been beaten and murdered two years earlier by members of the notorious MS-13 gang.

Rodriguez became a distinguished figure within the fight against MS-13 gang violence following the death of her daughter on September 13, 2016.

Her actions gained national attention when then-President Donald Trump visited Brentwood to address gang violence and invited Rodriguez to his 2018 State of the Union address.

Rodriguez’s daughter, Kayla, was killed together with Nisa Mickens, her best friend and classmate at Brentwood High School.

In the months leading up to the 2016 killings, Kayla Cuevas was embroiled in an ongoing feud with members of the MS-13 gang, which escalated after a confrontation at college during which several gang members decided to kill Kayla and Nisa.

The attackers, travelling in separate cars, spotted the couple walking down the road and attacked them with baseball bats and a machete, fatally wounding them.

Mickens was found dead on the street from blunt force trauma, while Cuevas’ body was found the next day.

Police charged 19-year-old Jairo “Funny” Saenz with murder, and prosecutors initially sought the death penalty for him and his brother, Alexi Saenz, who helped him commit the crime together with not less than two other MS-13 members.

MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha, is an infamous criminal gang that was founded in Los Angeles within the Nineteen Eighties. Initially composed primarily of immigrants from El Salvador, MS-13 has since expanded its influence across the United States, Latin America, and other regions.

Alexi Saenz, a frontrunner of the MS-13 Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside clique, pleaded guilty in July to multiple murders, including the brutal 2016 slayings of Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens.

Saenz admitted to hunting down teenage girls and attacking them with machetes and baseball bats, and to committing several other murders and crimes, including drug trafficking and firearm possession.

Although the federal government initially sought the death penalty, it withdrew that plan in 2023. Saenz faces between 40 and 70 years in prison under the plea agreement, and is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 31. Cases are still pending against his brother, Jairo Saenz, who was reportedly second-in-command of the gang.

Unlike her daughter, Rodriguez’s violent death on September 15, 2018, was not gang-related.

Drago, who admitted to running over Rodriguez, was trying to sell her mother’s home and wanted to remove the statue, fearing it could scare off potential buyers.

Hours before the annual vigil, Drago — who worked as a caregiver and nurse on Long Island — was spotted vandalizing the memorial by destroying balloons and flowers along with her 2016 Nissan Rouge.

In response, Rodriguez and Freddy Cuevas, Kayla’s father, angrily confronted Drago in her automotive, at which point Drago sped off and ran over the grieving mother.

Despite the violent confrontation that had just occurred, the motive force of the automotive stopped and called 911 after which cooperated with investigators.

Rodriguez was taken to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, where she was pronounced dead.

At the time, Trump tweeted about Rodriguez: “My thoughts and prayers are with Evelyn Rodriguez, her family and friends tonight. #RIPEvelyn.”

Drago faced two trials in Rodriguez’s death: the primary led to a guilty verdict that may have resulted in nine months in prison, but that was later overturned on appeal, and the second trial led to a hung jury in October 2023.

At previous trials, Drago’s defense attorney described the incident as a tragic accident, when Rodriguez’s foot got caught under the tire when Drago hit the gas and sped away, while the prosecution argued that Drago cut Rodriguez’s tire and hit the gas.

The lenient sentence indicated that the court felt Drago had already suffered enough.

During Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, Drago remained calm and silent as Freddy Cuevas and Rodriguez’s two surviving daughters, Kaitlyn and Kelsey, cried nearby.

“We did not get the justice we were hoping for given the issue,” Cuevas said. according to CBS News“The fact that she got a suspended sentence is like a slap in the hand.”

“I will never forgive you for what you did,” Kaitlyn Drago said in a victim impact statement.

“There is still no peace for me or my family,” Kelsey added.

They all said they found it difficult to come to terms with the referee’s decision.

“I felt sad for my daughters because of the pain they were going through,” Freddy Cuevas said. “Evelyn was considered a great advocate for the community.”

“She will be free. She will live her life, but judgment day will come one day,” Cuevas added.

The message sparked strong reactions from readers. One user he tweeted, “Disgusting. She should be in jail.”

This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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Video shows brutal fight that led to death of father trying to help daughter

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A 22-year-old man has turned himself in to police for fatally shooting a father of 14 who was trying to break up a fight between two teenagers, including his daughter.

Miami-Dade police said 47-year-old Johnny Stevenson Jr. was shot Tuesday on the intersection of Northwest 14th Street and First Court in Florida City during a fight between two highschool students.

Stevenson learned that his daughter had been involved in a fight on a college bus that had spilled onto the road near a bus stop, and he decided to intervene.

Cellphone footage captured two teenage girls exchanging blows on a bus. Another video showed the fight on the road, where a big crowd had gathered to watch.

“She clubbed me,” Stevenson’s 15-year-old daughter told CBS Miami. “When she clubbed me, we began arguing.

Police say Stevenson tried to break up the fight, but things got worse when one other man intervened and commenced shooting.

“The person who shot my dad dragged my best friend away, then my mom away,” Stevenson’s daughter recalled. “Then my dad saw him, then the guy pushed my dad away, my dad pushed him away, and then the guy pulled out a gun and shot him.”

Authorities say 22-year-old Kentarian Cross was liable for the shooting that left Stevenson seriously wounded.

“I saw my dad fall. I was pushing on his stomach. My mom comes in to push on his stomach,” Stevenson’s daughter says he said.

Stevenson was taken to an area hospital for treatment of gunshot wounds to his abdomen, but he died during surgery.

Cross surrendered to authorities the day after the shooting and had his Miranda rights revoked. He now faces a second-degree murder charge. Witnesses identified Cross because the suspect who opened fire. He can also be seen in a photograph holding a gun before the fight, police said.

“I just don’t understand why he did it,” the victim’s daughter said.

According to local reports, Stevenson was a faithful father of 14 children and a valued member of his community.

“We looked up to him. All of his kids looked up to him – honestly, everyone. He was just that kind of person.” – Stevenson’s cousin he said Local News 10.

Miami-Dade Public Schools released the next statement following the fight:

“Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is aware of a video clip of students from Homestead Senior High School getting into an altercation on a school bus. School administration is reviewing the matter and the students involved will be disciplined in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct. At M-DCPS, the well-being and safety of our students are of the utmost importance. This school district is committed to promoting values ​​of restraint and respect, as well as responsible use of social media. We ask parents to reinforce these principles at home.”

This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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Politics and Current

Watch NABJ-WHYY’s Conversation with Vice President Kamala Harris

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WHAT:The National Association of Black Journalists and Philadelphia’s WHYY will host a one-on-one Q&A Tuesday with Vice President Kamala Harris on the WHYY studios. The studio audience will include NABJ members and journalism and communications students from local HBCUs.

The panel discussion moderators can be:

“We look forward to hearing from Vice President Harris as she speaks to our members and student journalists as our panel asks the tough questions that matter most to the communities NABJ members serve,” NABJ President Ken Lemon said in an announcement.

“The interview with Vice President Harris is intended to inform the public and give our members access to help them report on their stories. We hope this event will also help provide real-time training for our aspiring storytellers,” Lemon said.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Woman flashes breasts and kicks sheriff’s deputy in face after calling police to report her son was kidnapped

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Body-worn camera footage that recently surfaced online shows a girl behaving erratically during an encounter with three officers after she called 911 to report a kidnapping.

The video shows two male and one female officers responding to a call at a house in Indian River County, Florida, on June 15, 2022, where they encounter a girl who appears to be upset.

Body camera footage shows a girl kicking a sheriff’s deputy in the face after he called 911 to report an alleged kidnapping. (Photo: YouTube/Blue Mast)

The woman begins by saying she called 911 earlier this week and spoke with a sheriff’s deputy, Tea De Leon, and her “eyelashes,” but De Leon claims she never spoke to the girl.

When officers attempt to query the girl in regards to the nature of her report, a lot of her answers are inconsistent and difficult to understand.

“I can’t handle this! You’re not invited!” the girl screams before trailing off incomprehensibly.

When the police ask her if she had been drinking alcohol or taking any medications that day, she says no and begins making accusations that her ex-husband had kidnapped her son.

“I’m taking care of my son. I haven’t seen my son in a month. I’m taking care of my fucking job, I’m taking care of my fucking son, my son’s father won’t give him his phone,” the girl said after telling officers she was working to resolve the custody dispute.

The conflict escalates when officers try to query the girl, but she begins to argue.

At one point she shows De Leon her chest, saying she just had “surgery,” and begins accusing the officers of touching her.

After refusing to obey the officers and continuing to get in De Leon’s face, all of the officers restrain her and handcuff her. She continues to speak incoherently after being detained.

“I always talk to someone, I don’t f***ing lie about shit,” the girl says. “Can you let her go, because this is a f***ing lot for her?”

A moment later, she begins to scream loudly and cry, then dramatically falls to the bottom.

As the officers help her off the bottom and lead her to the patrol automotive, they’ve trouble getting her to sit in the back seat. Things escalate again when she loudly demands that they stop touching her, then kicks De Leon.

The police try to force her into the automotive and she kicks De Leon again, this time in the face.

The men eventually help her into the automotive, then check on their friend as he leans down and massages her nose.

“I’m fine,” De Leon assures his partners. “I’m not bleeding, am I?”

The recording ends with one in every of the officers telling the girl she shall be charged with against the law.

“Why?” the girl asks.

“For kicking her in the face,” the deputy replies.

“I never kicked her in the face,” the girl shouts.

“Yes. I saw you do it. It’s all on video,” the deputy says.

As reported, the girl was charged with serious assault on an officer.

Watch your entire material Here.

This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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