Woman accused of killing mother, 2 young daughters in Brooklyn crash pleads not guilty
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The woman accused of fatally hitting a mother and her children as they walked in Brooklyn pleaded not guilty during her arraignment on Wednesday.
Authorities say Miriam Yarimi, 32, was a frequent violator of both speed laws and red light laws.
Yarimi appeared in court for the first time and was remanded until a hearing on June 11.
A grand jury indicted her earlier this month on the top count of second-degree manslaughter.
"This horrific fatal crash was one of the worst I've seen in over 25 years as a prosecutor. It wasn't an accident. This defendant's unconscionably dangerous driving wiped out a family," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. "The consequences of her flouting traffic laws and commonsense were disastrous, and we will now seek to hold her fully accountable for this criminally reckless behavior."
Until recently, Yarimi was hospitalized at Bellevue Hospital for injuries she suffered in the fatal crash on March 29.
Prosecutors accuse her of speeding through a red light on Ocean Parkway and crashing into an Uber before striking and killing Natasha Saada, and her two little girls, Deborah and Diana, who were crossing the street.
Yarimi went through a psychological evaluation before she was indicted. She allegedly made several questionable statements to police at the time of her arrest, including telling them, "The devil is in my eyes."
The case has sparked outrage and concern among local leaders, including Brooklyn's district attorney, who says Yarimi was driving with a suspended license.
"It actually exceeds just being reckless, it's almost being wanton, we're not going to tolerate that," Gonzalez said. "People are aggressive on the roads. People seem to have a lot of rage. They're speeding. They're running red lights."
One of the members of the Sadaah family, a 4-year-old boy, is still in the hospital with a long road to recovery. He suffered skull fractures, brain bleeding and had a kidney removed.
The Uber had five people inside including the driver, a mother and her three kids, who all suffered minor injuries. The driver of another car that flipped upside down also suffered minor injuries.
Yarimi's defense lawyer made a lengthy argument for bail and downplayed the charges, telling the judge that she is also a mother who shares custody of her child.
"The statements that have been made in the press about her being a scofflaw and having a number of traffic and moving violations, that is unfounded and I've never seen any evidence that she's even been pulled over by a cop and ticketed," said defense attorney Joe Amsel.
Authorities say reckless drivers who rack up red light and speed camera tickets can pay them off to avoid having their car seized. They say there is more than one loophole that needs to be closed.
The district attorney said he is taking a close look to see if charges can be upgraded in the case, but is confident they have already been brought.
If convicted, Yarimi faces 15-45 years behind bars.
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