Aug. 23, 2021 – Yorktown resident Mark Cope was arraigned on Monday for a wrong-way, head-on collision he caused while intoxicated in Dec. 2020 which resulted in the death of an Ossining mother, Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah announced.
The charges in the indictment are as follows:
- Three Counts Aggravated Vehicular Homicide, a Felony
- Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a Felony
- Aggravated Vehicular Assault, a Felony
- Vehicular Assault in the Second Degree, a Felony
- Assault in the Third Degree, a Misdemeanor
- Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated, a Misdemeanor
- Two Counts Driving While Intoxicated, a Misdemeanor
- Reckless Driving, a Misdemeanor
Cope, 41, faces a sentence ranging from a minimum of 1 to 3 years to a maximum of 8 1/3 to 25 years in state prison.
“This horrible tragedy cost a woman her life and a daughter her mother due to Mark Cope’s decision to selfishly get behind the wheel of his car while intoxicated,” DA Rocah said. “This is why the District Attorney’s Office will continue to hold accountable reckless drivers and seek justice for victims and families who suffer this terrible heartache.”
On Dec. 23, 2020, at approximately 9:07 p.m., Cope drove northbound in the southbound lane on Route 9 in Peekskill when he crashed head-on into the car driven by Ossining resident Shina McClam. Cope had a blood alcohol content above the legal limit at the time of the collision.
McClam, 32, died at the scene. McClam’s six-year-old daughter and 18-year-old niece, who were passengers in the car, suffered non-life threatening injuries from the crash and were transported to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla. Both spent one-week in the hospital.
New York State Police arrested Cope the night of the crash and conducted the subsequent investigation.
The case is before Judge Robert Neary in Westchester County Court and is being prosecuted by Major Case Bureau Deputy Chief Jonathan Strongin and Assistant District Attorney Marissa Morra-Wynn.
The charges against the defendant are merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Jess Vecchiarelli, Director of Communications
(914) 995-3586
jvecchiarelli@westchesterda.net
