Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes has issued a charge of manslaughter for the death of pedestrian Margaret Myers.
According to published reports, Domino’s Pizza deliveryman Videsh Badal was drunk and driving with a suspended a license when he struck Myers, 69, on Wortman Avenue in East New York on the evening of March 7. He then left the scene. When a witness caught up with Badal and confronted him, he reportedly replied, “Well, who’s going to pay for my car?”
Initial media reports said Badal was charged with manslaughter, DWI, resisting arrest and leaving the scene. But two weeks after the crash, an online court database listed leaving the scene as the top charge, with other charges including third degree aggravated unlicensed operation and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. At that time, a Hynes spokesperson confirmed that Badal was not charged for Myers's death, and said the case was in the hands of a grand jury.
On April 6, the first degree manslaughter charge was added, indicating that Badal is accused of having a blood alcohol content of at least .18 percent, according to the court database. Other added charges include speeding, running a red light and aggravated DWI with a child in the car -- a felony under Leandra's Law.
Theoretically, Badal faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted on the manslaughter charge. His next court date is set for April 30.
