RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — A New York woman has pleaded guilty to negligent homicide Death of an anti-gang activist in 2018 during a dispute over a memorial for the activist’s murdered daughter.
Annmarie Drago, 63, of Patchogue, entered the plea Friday in a Long Island courtroom and is expected to be sentenced to five years’ probation, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement. Sentencing was scheduled for August 1.
Authorities say Drago struck Evelyn Rodriguez with her vehicle and then ran over her in Brentwood in September 2018, killing the 50-year-old activist.
The two were involved in a confrontation after Drago removed items from a memorial Rodriguez had set up in front of Drago’s mother’s home to mark the two-year anniversary of the discovery of the body of Rodriguez’s daughter, 16-year-old Kayla Cuevas, officers of justice. said.
Drago was trying to sell the house at the time and didn’t want the monument to deter buyers, prosecutors say.
Kayla was hacked and beaten to death together with a friend in 2016. Authorities said they were killed by MS-13 street gang members in a dispute between high school students.
“Evelyn Rodriguez was still grieving the loss of her daughter when this defendant dismantled her daughter’s monument and then struck the victim with her vehicle, ultimately causing her death,” Tierney said. “We hope this plea brings a sense of peace and closure to Ms. Rodriguez’s family, a family that has suffered multiple tragic losses.”
The probation plea was approved by a judge. Tierney’s office had recommended a sentence of one to three years in prison, but the judge-approved deal only required probation.
Drago’s attorney, Matthew Hereth, did not immediately return a message Saturday. He and Drago declined to comment after Friday’s court appearance. Newsday reports this. A message seeking comment was left on a phone listing for Drago. Her previous attorney called Rodriguez’s death a “tragic accident.”
Drago was tried twice in connection with Rodriguez’s death.
She was convicted of negligent homicide in 2020 and sentenced to nine months in prison, but the conviction was quashed and the judge ordered a new trial, citing prosecutorial misconduct. Her second test ended in a mistrial last year when jurors deadlocked on a negligent homicide charge.
Rodriguez became a symbol in the fight against MS-13 gang violence after the death of her daughter.
When he was president, Donald Trump visited Brentwood and promised a national crackdown on MS-13. He recognized Rodriguez and her daughter during his State of the Union address in January 2018.