In a sobering conclusion to a devastating event, Daniel Hyden stood trial and was found guilty on Monday for the senseless deaths of four individuals, following his inebriated drive through a crowd gathered to celebrate Independence Day last year on the Lower East Side. The 44-year-old was convicted on four counts of second degree murder, one count of aggravated vehicular homicide and several counts of assault after his uncontrollable pickup truck, fueled by a depleted sense of responsibility and a blood alcohol content alleged to be more than double the legal limit, brought down a vivacious gathering to a scene of carnage and despair, as reported by ABC7NY.
Haunted by the tragedy, those who survived the incident and the loved ones of the deceased bore their grief in court with Liliana Ruiz's heart-wrenching testimony about the final moments of her 30-year-old daughter who was, tragically pinned beneath Hyden’s truck, as she desperately tried to keep her daughter from slipping away, recounting to the court that her daughter's "eyes like saucers", in the words she relayed to the NY Daily News this chilling memory is compounded by the naïvely hopeful actions of her grandson, bearing a toy first aid kit in the hopes of saving his mother.
Hyden's reckless act not only cut short the lives of Ana Morel, Lucille and Herman Pinkney, along with Liliana Ruiz's daughter Emily but also left seven others injured, and many more emotionally and psychologically scarred. Throughout the trial, the prosecution presented evidence that elucidated Hyden's hazardous behavior leading up to the tragedy, including his denied entry onto a party boat due to intoxication and a subsequent altercation, details duly noted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg according to ABC7NY.
As testament to the trauma inflicted upon the community, Hector Moreno, a childhood friend of Hernan Pinkney and a surrogate son to Lucille, recalled the shock of being thrown eight feet by the impact and the subsequent response of the crowd who, driven by a raw desire for justice, dragged Hyden from his truck as he tried to flee the chaos, Moreno's detailed account which included identifying Hyden in court as the driver that fateful night, was provided to the NY Daily News. While the defense offered an explanation for Hyden's lack of braking, citing a foot injury, it was overshadowed by the haunting prior writings of Hyden who had previously titled a book "The Sober Addict", where he acknowledged the dangers of driving under the influence, which tsarcastically led prosecutors to expose the irony of his own insight into his potentially deadly behavior.
