Annmarie Donadeo of Copiague sentenced to 4 to 12 years in DWI crash that killed Travis Kinard, DA says

A Suffolk judge sentenced a Copiague woman who pleaded guilty to striking a vehicle and killing a pedestrian while driving intoxicated in 2021 to four to 12 years in prison, District Attorney Ray Tierney said on Tuesday.

Annmarie Donadeo, 51, had been drinking at a local bar for about 4½ hours before she struck a parked Hyundai Elantra that then hit Travis Kinard, 28. Prosecutors said Donadeo's blood-alcohol level was more than double the legal limit after the crash.

“It is tragic for all involved,” said Donadeo’s attorney, Vincent Grande of Lindenhurst, who declined to comment further. 

Investigators said Donadeo was driving a 2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer on Hawkins Boulevard in Copiague at approximately 9:10 p.m. on Aug. 24, 2021. Kinard was retrieving toys from a minivan parked in front of his girlfriend’s house. 

Donadeo struck the Hyundai, pinning Kinard between the Elantra and the minivan. Kinard was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, where he was pronounced dead from his injuries, officials said.

Donadeo showed signs of intoxication while speaking to police, performed poorly on field sobriety tests, and admitted she had been drinking, authorities said. A sample of Donadeo’s blood, which was taken more than two hours after the crash, revealed that her blood alcohol concentration was 0.21%, more than twice the legal limit.

On Oct. 18, Donadeo pleaded guilty before County Court Judge Stephen L. Braslow to first-degree vehicular manslaughter and aggravated driving while intoxicated.

“This defendant’s choices and actions resulted in an unspeakable tragedy for the family of Travis Kinard,” Tierney said. “The defendant 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.”