Copiague woman pleads guilty in fatal DUI crash

A Copiague woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to manslaughter and drunken driving charges in connection with a 2021 crash that killed a man unloading toys from a parked minivan in the hamlet, Suffolk prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, Annmarie Donadeo, 51, was driving with a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit at the time of the Aug. 24, 2021, crash that killed Travis Kinard, 28.

Prosecutors said Donadeo was behind the wheel of a 2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer on Hawkins Boulevard after drinking for more than four hours at a bar.

She headed south on the road about 9 p.m. and struck a parked Hyundai Elantra, pinning Kinard against a minivan as he retrieved toys from the back of the vehicle. The two vehicles were parked in front of Kinard's girlfriend’s house, according to court records.

Kinard was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Police said Donadeo appeared intoxicated and admitted drinking before she failed a field sobriety test. Her blood-alcohol concentration was recorded at 0.21%, records show.

She pleaded guilty Tuesday before Judge Stephen L. Braslow to vehicular manslaughter and aggravated driving while intoxicated and could face up to 12 years in prison at her sentencing, scheduled for February. 

Her attorney, Vincent Grande, was not immediately available for comment.

“This tragedy could have been avoided if the defendant didn’t drive drunk, period,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney in a department news release. “Instead, she chose to endanger Suffolk County residents through her selfish and senseless conduct and in the process caused the death of an innocent individual who was simply retrieving items from a parked vehicle.”