An 18-year-old from Queens was sentenced to prison over a fatal accident that occurred when he was 16, which resulted in the death of 14-year-old Fortune Williams. As reported by the Queens District Attorney's Office, the collision involved an unlicensed teenage driver operating a high-speed BMW, an accident that prompted a landmark case against both the teenager and his parents.
The accused, now 18 but was 16 at the time of the incident, received a sentence ranging from 1 1/3 to four years in prison after pleading guilty to charges including second-degree manslaughter and assault. Supreme Court Justice Michael Yavinsky granted the defendant youthful offender status in the sentencing phase. On May 17, 2023, the defendant was driving a red 2005 BMW 325i at a reported speed of 101 miles per hour, over three times the posted speed limit, resulting in a crash that took Williams' life. According to the Queens District Attorney's Office, the young man had lost control while trying to change lanes and collided with a parked UPS truck, leading to the fatal ejection of Williams.
Not only was the driver illegally behind the wheel, but his parents also faced legal consequences for their role in providing him the car. His father, Sean Smith, was sentenced to three years of probation and required to attend a parenting class and the Victim Impact Panel Program, after pleading guilty to endangering the welfare of a child. The driver's mother, Deo Ramnarine, completed a 26-week parenting class and was permitted to withdraw her plea to the same charge, with only the disorderly conduct charge remaining.
The case was noted for its distinctive approach to prosecutorial discretion, marking the first conviction of its kind in Queens County, where both an underage driver and his parents were held accountable for the fatal consequences of a reckless decision to allow an unlicensed teen behind the wheel. Previously in November 2022, witnesses from the defendant's school saw him regularly driving the vehicle, and a school administrator informed the parents of the illegal activity, according to the Queens District Attorney's Office. Despite previous warnings and a ticket for driving without a license, the teen was permitted to drive, leading up to the tragic event three weeks after the fatal crash, the father had even informed the car's insurer that his son drove the BMW, appraising him as a good driver. Assistant District Attorneys Erin Mullins and her team prosecuted the case.
