April 5, 2023 – Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah announced today that a Pelham woman was sentenced to one to three years in prison for driving drunk and causing the April 2021 vehicular crash in Mamaroneck that resulted in the death of two passengers.
DA Rocah said: “The defendant’s decision to drive while intoxicated caused the tragic death of two young victims who were friends of the defendant. We thank the families of the victims for working with our Office during a very difficult time.”
On April 11, 2021, at approximately 2:37 a.m., Bethzy Higueros, 23, was driving in excess of 80 miles per hour on Boston Post Road in Mamaroneck with two passengers in her car when she drove through a red light and crashed into a utility pole, shearing off both passenger side doors. The car caught fire after the collision. The defendant, who was 21 at time of the incident, had a blood alcohol content of .17 and an expired driver’s permit.
New Rochelle resident Veronica Diaz Ayala, 20, died at the scene, and Itzel Oliveros, 19, also of New Rochelle, was transported to Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, where she died on June 6, 2021.
The Town of Mamaroneck Police Department arrested the defendant on December 9, 2021. The Westchester County Department of Public Safety, the Village of Mamaroneck Police Department and the Larchmont Police Department assisted with the investigation.
On December 14, 2022, the defendant pleaded guilty to Vehicular Manslaughter in the First Degree, a felony, and Driving While Intoxicated, a misdemeanor.
The case was before Judge James McCarty in Westchester County Court, and was prosecuted by New Rochelle Branch Chief Craig Ascher.
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Anna Young, Public Information Officer
(914) 995-6551
ayoung@westchesterda.net
