On Tuesday morning, Annmarie Drago managed to avoid being sent to prison as she was sentenced to probation in a Suffolk County courtroom.
After being found guilty of criminally negligent homicide and petit larceny for taking items from the memorial, she received a sentence of five years probation and three years probation respectively.
In 2018, Drago struck and killed Evelyn Rodriguez, an anti-gang activist, while she was mourning the loss of her daughter who was killed by members of the MS-13 gang.
The discovery of Kayla Cuevas’ body behind a house in Brentwood happened precisely two years before her mother’s death.
Over the course of two years, the area where Drago resided – the front of the house – had transformed into a lasting tribute. Drago was always tidying it up, feeling as though it required constant attention.
After a heated argument with Rodriguez regarding the removal of the memorial, Drago left the scene and tragically ran over Rodriguez, resulting in her untimely death.
She received a nine-month sentence in her initial trial in 2020, but she appealed the verdict. After 16 months, her conviction was overturned.
During her second trial in 2023, the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the homicide charge. However, she was found guilty of misdemeanor larceny for taking items from the memorial.
In May, while waiting for her next trial, she admitted to being guilty of criminally negligent homicide.
Judge Richard Ambro is expected to sentence the defendant to five years of probation, despite the prosecution’s request for a maximum of three years in jail.
The sentencing left Freddy Cuevas, Rodriguez’s life partner, and their two surviving daughters deeply saddened.
Cuevas expressed his sadness and disappointment over the tragic incident, stating that it could have been avoided. The fact that justice was not served in the form of probation was like a mere slap on the wrist, which was not what they were hoping for.
In court, Drago was confronted by Kaitlyn, the 14-year-old daughter of Cuevas and Rodriguez. Through her tears, she expressed how deeply her family had been affected by his actions and told him, “I hope you understand what you did to my family. I will never forgive you.”
Silence was the option Drago went for.
Freddy Cuevas expressed that the woman in question will have her freedom and the ability to live her life as she pleases. He believes that judgement day will eventually come, but he does not feel it is his place to determine the outcome. According to him, only a higher power will have the authority to make such a decision.
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Janice Yu brings us the latest update on a high-ranking member of MS-13 who recently pleaded guilty to eight counts of murder. Stay tuned for more details on this developing story.