Driver pleads not guilty in Ocean Parkway crash that killed mother, 2 children in Brooklyn
Miriam Yarimi, the driver accused of killing a mother and her two children last month on busy Ocean Parkway in Midwood, Brooklyn, pleaded not guilty during her first in-person court appearance Wednesday.
The attorney for Yarimi, 32, entered the not guilty plea to manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and several other charges in the March 29 crash.
Natasha Saada, 34, and her two daughters, 8-year-old Diana and 5-year-old Deborah, were killed in the crash. Her 4-year-old son, Philip, was hospitalized with critical injuries.
Mother, 2 daughters killed in Ocean Parkway crash
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez spoke to reporters outside the courthouse, saying Yarimi was driving more than twice the speed limit and ran multiple red lights.
"In my over 25 years as a prosecutor in Brooklyn, this still remains one of the worst collisions that I have ever seen on a New York City street," Gonzalez said after the arraignment.
Gonzalez said Wednesday the son is making progress but remains in an induced coma and is "still fighting for his life."
"I've been in contact with the family, they're devastated," he said. "So I thought it was important as a father, but also as district attorney, to be at this arraignment today."
He added, "What's clear is that an entire community has suffered a tremendous loss."
Prosecutors say driver shouldn't have been on the road
According to investigators, Yarimi was behind the wheel of an Audi A3 that struck a Toyota Camry with five people inside before hitting the family as they crossed the street.
Her record shows that she was driving with a suspended license and had more than 99 violations, 20 speeding tickets and $10,000 in unpaid fines.
"What is very clear is that she should not have been on the road that day," said Gonzalez. "Had she not been on the road driving that Audi on that day, this family would have survived this terrible incident."
Earlier this month, Yarimi appeared for a virtual hearing from NYU-Langone hospital, where she was undergoing a psychological evaluation.
Prosecutors have said she made several statements while in custody, including, "I have the devil in my eye," "I need a whole work-up to get whatever is in my body," "Where's my daughter?" and "I didn't kill anyone."
Gonzalez declined to comment on her psychiatric state Wednesday.
"A driver who is reckless and continues to speed, who continues to run red lights, they can pay off those camera tickets, there are no points on their licenses and technically their cars are not in scoff," he said.
Defense attorney argues for conditional release
Yarimi's attorney said this is her first encounter with the criminal justice system and described her as a mother and active member of her community.
"We'll get the discovery, we'll review the material and we'll... I think that when the dust settles, I think that people should hold their judgment," attorney Joe Amsel said.
Amsel argued for a conditional release, saying Yarimi is a longtime resident of Brooklyn, not a flight risk and has no previous violent offenses. He says the charges won't stick.
"They need to prove that the Department of Motor Vehicles actually sent out the notification and that the postal office actually delivered. I have reason to believe that her license was not suspended," he said.
She remains in custody, and her next court date has been set for June 11. If convicted of the charges, she faces 15 to 45 years in prison.
