Sentencing For Drunken 2022 Crash That Killed Uniondale Man: Nassau DA

GARDEN CITY, NY — A Hempstead man has been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison for a 2022 crash that killed a 26-year-old man, prosecutors said.

Donnell Hill, 52, pleaded guilty on January 24 to second-degree aggravated vehicular homicide, second-degree assault, third-degree assault, aggravated driving while intoxicated with a child and driving while intoxicated.

"Donnell Hill was an MTA bus driver for more than ten years, responsible for the lives of countless passengers along his routes. But on October 29, 2022, any sense of duty clearly did not extend to his personal life, when the defendant recklessly sped down Jerusalem Avenue at more than three times the speed limit while heavily intoxicated and crashed his high-powered Dodge Charger into a tree. The impact killed a 26-year-old man and injured the defendant’s own son," Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said.

According to the charges, at approximately 10:36 p.m. on October 29, 2022, Hill, while intoxicated, was driving his blue 2018 Dodge Charger eastbound on Jerusalem Avenue towards Ingraham Boulevard in Hempstead with four passengers.

According to the crash data recorder, just five seconds before the crash, he was driving at 97 miles an hour and not engaging the brake. The speed limit on Jerusalem Avenue at that location is 30 miles per hour.

Hill lost control of his vehicle, crossed over the westbound lanes of travel, and crashed into a tree at approximately 49 miles per hour, Donnelly said.

Based on the investigation, he also drove his car in a “doughnut” pattern at least twice on a public roadway just before the crash.

Rear passenger Xavier Parris, 26, of Uniondale, was ejected from the vehicle and suffered extensive injuries. He died a short time later.

Two of the other three occupants of the vehicle, including Hill’s then 13-year-old son, were treated for various injuries.

Hill had a blood alcohol content of .13 percent approximately two hours after the collision, the D.A.'s office said.

"Xavier Parris had his whole life ahead of him. A charismatic young man who was loved by his Uniondale community. We hope that today’s prison sentence brings some solace to Xavier’s many family members and friends who continue to mourn his loss," Donnelly said.