Freeport man sentenced to prison for crash that killed 6-Year-Old girl

A Freeport man was sentenced to six to 12 years in prison for a vehicular crash in West Hempstead last August that killed a six-year-old girl.

Jorge Bonilla Gutierrez, 19, pleaded guilty on June 5, before Judge Terence Murphy to charges including manslaughter, assault and driving while intoxicated.

Gutierrez was sentenced six to 12 years in prison on Aug. 5.

Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly had made a recommendation 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," Donnelly said in a news release. "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.

“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.”

On Aug. 7, of last year near 2:20 a.m., Gutierrez, intoxicated and speeding, drove through a red light and crashed into the rear of Hernandez’s mother’s vehicle, which was stopped with hazard lights on Hempstead Turnpike near Westminster Road.

The impact sent the Toyota Corolla off the roadway and into a tree, while Gutierrez’s Nissan Pathfinder flipped multiple times.

Hernandez, a passenger in the Corolla, suffered significant internal injuries and was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to NYU Langone Long Island Hospital.

Her five-year-old brother sustained a fractured spine, and the driver of the Corolla suffered multiple broken ribs.

Gutierrez was apprehended near the crash scene by a member of the Nassau County Police Department, and taken to Nassau University Medical Center. His injuries included broken ribs and a broken nose.

Empty beer cans were found inside and around his vehicle, according to police reports. A search warrant revealed his blood alcohol content was 0.17 percent one hour after the crash.