Woman Accused Of Killing Manhattanville Student Pleads Not Guilty

HARRISON, NY — The woman who was accused of striking and killing a college student with her car in October pleaded not guilty to the crime Monday. Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. announced that Emma Fox, 25, of Midland Avenue in Rye, was arraigned and charged in the death of 21-year-old Robert Schartner of Fishkill.

Fox was accused of the following:

• Second-degree vehicular manslaughter, a felony
• two counts of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, misdemeanors
• Reckless driving, misdemeanor
• Driving in excess of maximum speed limits, a violation

Scarpino said, on Oct. 9, 2016, around 4:50 a.m., Fox was driving her 2012 Nissan Sentra eastbound on Westchester Avenue in White Plains when she struck and killed Schartner, a Manhattanville college student who was running back to his dorm from a location in downtown White Plains. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

After striking the victim, Fox drove approximately one-half mile before stopping her car on the right shoulder of Westchester Avenue near Meadowbrook Road, police said. A passing motorist saw that her car had sustained substantial damage to the windshield and called 911.

Police responding to the scene found Schartner unconscious on the shoulder of Westchester Avenue near the entrance to eastbound Interstate 287. He had severe trauma to the back of his head and was pronounced dead at the scene.

White Plains police officers said they detected an odor of alcohol on Fox’s breath. Standard field sobriety tests were conducted which she allegedly failed. Fox was then arrested and taken to White Plains Police Department Headquarters.

Fox was then taken to White Plains Hospital where she consented to a blood and urine test. Police said that testing revealed her blood alcohol was above .08 percent.

Schartner's autopsy revealed that the cause of death was blunt force trauma of the body with fractures of skull and ribs, lacerations of brain, lungs, liver and internal hemorrhages, police said.

Fox remains out on bail. Her next court date is October 4, 2017.

If convicted, Fox faces two-and-one-third to seven years in state prison.

Photo caption: Emma Fox. Photo credit: Westchester County District Attorney's Office.