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Zealously Representing Our Clients
Zealously Representing Our Clients
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Vin Dacquino interviews Pat Bonanno on the new show, One on One, channel 8 Comcast
Posted on February 6, 2016 at 3:13 PM |
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Published on Feb 4, 2016 Vin Dacquino interviews Pat Bonanno on the new show, One on One, channel 8 Comcast |
Atty. Pat Bonanno, expert legal commentator for Good Morning America
Posted on July 23, 2014 at 2:40 PM |
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Video of Atty. Pat Bonanno as an expert legal commentator for Good Morning America |
Yonkers man gets prison...from Journal News
Posted on May 21, 2014 at 4:44 PM |
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Yonkers man gets prison in Mount Vernon DWI fatal
Rhonda Richardson says the first and only time she met the man who
would kill her daughter in a drunken-driving crash, she asked him to
take care of her baby. "Kelly was not just my only daughter, my
baby, but my best friend," Richardson said of Kelly Williams in a
statement read in court Tuesday. She added: "Even the good memories ...
hurt because I know there will be no more, and my heart and soul want
more." Richardson spoke at the sentencing of William
Watkins-Gomes, who pleaded guilty in March to vehicular manslaughter,
driving while intoxicated and several other charges. The Yonkers man,
27, was sentenced to 1 1/3 to four years in prison. Before the
plea, Watkins-Gomes had faced up to seven years stemming from the early
morning Aug. 4 crash in Mount Vernon that resulted in the death of
Williams, 31, a passenger in the car in which the couple were driving. Williams,
known by her nickname "Sunshine," had lived in Yonkers and worked as a
supervisor for an organization serving people with intellectual and
developmental disabilities. Her family has expressed frustration with
the length of Watkins-Gomes' sentence. "I am ... appalled that
there are other, less serious offenses in New York state that carry more
time than the one which took the life of our beloved Kelly," her
brother, Andre Richardson of Yonkers, said in his statement. "These laws
and corresponding sentences need to be addressed and corrected." He
later added: "Countless nights of no sleep, fits of crying, rage and
angst have filled my (family's) daily life over the last nine months. I
will never get the chance to have a niece or nephew to dote on and help
raise." Watkins-Gomes was pinned during the accident on South
Fifth Avenue and brought to Jacobi Medical Center, where he later was
arrested, authorities said. His blood-alcohol content was above the
legal limit and THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, was found in
his system. Watkins-Gomes, who has been in jail since last summer,
expressed sorrow in court for the tragedy, according to his attorney,
and admitted making poor choices that resulted in Williams' death.
Attorney Pat Bonanno said of his client."It is our prayer ... and certainly the prayer of the Gomes family that God is close to the Richardson-Williams family today." Rhonda
Richardson said Watkins-Gomes apologized without any feeling and her
family still hasn't felt remorse from him. "If I could have one wish, I
would not be standing in front of you, but a vibrant young woman with
her whole life ahead of her would be here," she said in her statement. Read the victim's impact statement from Rhonda Richardson, mother of Kelly Williams: |
Yonkers DWI - Article from The Journal News
Posted on April 2, 2014 at 12:27 PM |
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Yonkers DWI YONKERS – Rhonda Richardson
has spent the last eight months trying to manage the overwhelming
sadness she's felt since losing her only daughter, the victim of a
drunk-driving crash. There are happy moments, such as texts from
her granddaughter and daily visits from her son, who lives upstairs. But
there's also confusion and frustration, most recently after the man
responsible for Kelly Williams' death pleaded guilty last month to
felony vehicular manslaughter. Richardson didn't want a plea bargain for William Watkins-Gomes, who agreed to serve 1 /
to 4 years after admitting he was intoxicated during the Aug. 4 crash
in Mount Vernon that killed her daughter, a passenger in the car. He had
faced up to seven years in prison. "Even if he got six years in
the state penitentiary, that would have been fine with me," Richardson,
63, said from the living room of her Sherwood Avenue home. "I'm not
comfortable with what the sentence was. My daughter's not coming back.
She was my best friend. She was also my baby." Richardson's
dissatisfaction with the justice system is something other victims'
families have encountered before — a process they can't dictate. Her
family wanted a trial for Watkins-Gomes, who they have described as a
friend of Williams, but the reality is the vast majority of criminal
cases in New York state don't make it that far. And it's up to the
defendant to plead guilty or have a trial. A deal for
Watkins-Gomes, 28, was reached after negotiations between his attorney
and the Westchester County District Attorney's Office, with a judge
serving as the arbiter. If the case had gone to trial, there was a
chance the Yonkers man could have walked free or received probation.
He could have also received a longer sentence. The plea agreement fell
in the middle of those scenarios. "There were extensive and
numerous conversations face-to-face ... with the (Richardson) family,"
said Lucian Chalfen, a spokesman for the District Attorney's Office.
"They were fully apprised of what was happening, but also what various
other outcomes could be." Watkins-Gomes has been locked up since
last summer, and will receive credit for time served, meaning he's
approaching the minimum sentence, according to his attorney. That's
upsetting to the Richardsons, especially since they say Watkins-Gomes
hasn't shown remorse or apologized to them for killing 31-year-old
Williams, who was a supervisor for an organization serving people with
intellectual and developmental disabilities. His attorney, Pat
Bonanno, said his client was sorry for what happened to a woman he was
romantically involved with. He added that mitigating factors, such as
Williams not wearing a seat belt, would have surfaced if the case had
gone to trial. "It's a tragedy all around," Bonanno said. "He's truly remorseful that this resulted in a loss of life." |
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