Unlicensed Driver Who Killed Brooklyn Senior Convicted of Leaving Scene
A jury has convicted a motorist who, while driving without a license, fatally struck a Brooklyn senior and left the scene.
Isabel Rodriguez, 88, was walking with her 79-year-old sister on July 22, 2012, when Wayne Stokeling drove into her at Stone and Livonia Avenues in Brownsville, according to reports. Police tracked down his damaged BMW sedan a few blocks away.
Stokeling, then 50, “had an open warrant on a prior motor vehicle-related charge and four prior arrests,” the Daily News reported.
Stokeling claimed he was eating ice cream while driving and didn’t notice he’d run someone over. Unlike in many cases, however, the “I didn’t see her” defense didn’t work. Former Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes brought several charges against Stokeling, but he was not charged with homicide for killing Isabel Rodriguez. According to court records, on May 23 Stokeling was found guilty at trial of leaving the scene and driving with a suspended license.
It’s unclear what penalties will come with this conviction. Court records say the top charge against Stokeling — for which he was found guilty — was a violation of VTL § 600.2(a), for leaving the scene of a crash involving injury. This is the same charge that resulted in a 16 day jail sentence for the hit-and-run driver who killed pedestrian Florence Cioffi in Manhattan in 2008.
Stokeling’s next court appearance is scheduled for July.
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