By Michael V. Cusenza
It seems that the sins of the son have been visited upon the parents.
In a case that Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz has characterized as “groundbreaking,” the mother and father of a teen driver—who has been charged with manslaughter in the death of the 14-year-old passenger in the BMW he was driving—were sentenced for facilitating the boy’s access to the car when he was legally prohibited from operating the vehicle, Katz announced Monday.
The teen driver’s father, Sean Smith, 40, of Springfield Gardens, pleaded guilty on June 11 before Supreme Court Justice Michael Yavinsky to endangering the welfare of a child. He was sentenced on Monday to three years of probation. As a condition of the sentence, he must take a 26-week parenting class and attend the Victim Impact Panel Program.
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“We allege that because of that teenager’s actions, 14-year-old Fortune Williams is now dead after she was thrown from the car when it crashed into a UPS truck at more than 100 miles an hour,” DA Katz said.
The boy’s mother, Deo Ramnarine, 43, of Springfield Gardens, pleaded guilty last month to endangering the welfare of a child and disorderly conduct. Yavinsky sentenced her to a 26-week parenting class and to attend the Victim Impact Panel Program. If she successfully completes both, she will be allowed to withdraw her plea to endangering the welfare of a child and only the disorderly conduct charge will stand.
The now 17-year-old, who lives with his parents in Springfield Gardens, was arraigned in December on charges of manslaughter in the second degree; three counts of assault in the second degree; assault in the third degree; reckless endangerment in the second degree; endangering the welfare of a child; reckless driving; driving in excess of the maximum speed limit; unsafe lane change on a roadway laned for traffic; making an unlawful turn; two counts of operating a motor vehicle with a tinted windows; operating or driving a motor vehicle without a license; and operating a motor vehicle in violation of a restricted permit or license.
According to the investigation:
On May 17, 2023, at approximately 6:38 p.m., the then 16-year-old defendant was driving a red 2005 BMW 325i westbound on North Conduit Avenue near 160th Street at a speed calculated at 101 miles per hour. The posted speed limit was 30 miles per hour.
The teenager lost control of the vehicle when attempting to move from the left-center lane to the right-center lane and crashed into the back of a parked UPS truck. After hitting the truck, the BMW spun across the roadway and struck a tractor-trailer traveling westbound.
As a result of the initial collision, Williams was ejected from the front passenger seat of the BMW into the back of the UPS truck. She suffered severe head trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene.
A UPS employee was getting into his truck just as the BMW collided with it, throwing the worker to the ground. He was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for a large hematoma to his leg, a laceration to his face and a bruise to his chest.
At the hospital where he was being treated for minor injuries, the defendant explained to police that he had picked Williams up at her home and was taking her to his grandmother’s house. His father, who was with his son at the hospital, told police that while the BMW was registered in his name, he had bought the vehicle for his son and that the car was his son’s.
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The boy’s parents appeared in court on Monday.
The son had a junior driver’s license, which prohibited him from driving under any circumstances in New York City.
Three weeks after the fatal crash, on June 7, Smith told the car’s insurer that his son had driven the BMW approximately twice with him in the vehicle and that his son was a good driver.
Prior to the fatal collision, in November 2022, witnesses from the defendant’s school saw him regularly driving the same BMW and a school administrator informed the parents that their child was driving to school.
The child was also ticketed in November 2022 for driving without a license and driving while using a portable electronic device.
His name is being withheld because of his age.
“The parents of a 16-year-old gave their son a BMW when he did not have legal authority to drive it anywhere in New York City. We allege that because of that teenager’s actions, 14-year-old Fortune Williams is now dead after she was thrown from the car when it crashed into a UPS truck at more than 100 miles an hour,” Katz said. “With this conviction, we have shown that the culpability in a fatal crash can go beyond the driver. Parents who provide vehicles to their children and let them drive illegally can be held responsible in the case of tragedies such as this one. We will continue to seek justice for Fortune Williams and her grieving family.”
The case against the son is ongoing. If convicted of the top count, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
