Man Charged In Fatal Hit-And-Run Indicted; Lawyer Speaks

EAST QUOGUE, NY — The AutoZone deliveryman charged with hitting two pedestrians and killing one before fleeing the scene in North Babylon Monday was indicted by a grand jury in Central Islip Friday — and now, his attorney is speaking out.

According to police, 26-year-old Donnell Hicks was driving a 2017 Dodge Ram work van when he struck Annmarie Christina and Eric Krems in front of the AutoZone located at 1295 Deer Park Ave. at 1:04 p.m. Hicks did not stop and continued traveling northbound on Deer Park Avenue while dragging Christina, who was pinned underneath the vehicle, for nearly a mile, police said.

Hicks made a right hand turn onto Shade Street in Deer Park where Christina became dislodged from the van and came to rest in the roadway, police said. Hicks continued on his route, police said.

Christina, 38, of East Quogue, was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, where she was pronounced dead. Krems, 40, was treated and released from Good Samaritan.

An investigation revealed Hicks might be at the AutoZone located at 595 Portion Road in Lake Ronkonkoma, police said. Police responded to the location and found Hicks at 1:57 p.m.

Hicks, of Springfield Gardens in Queens, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, police said. He was held overnight at the Sixth Precinct and was arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on Tuesday.

“It is imperative that when drivers hit something on the road, that they stop,” Suffolk County Timothy Sini said, according to a PIX11.com post. “They stop in a safe manner and they respect what occurred and if need be, call 911 and stay at the scene.”

Hicks' attorney, Steven Gilden of Fresh Meadows, said his client claims the incident was an accident. "He said, 'I feel terrible about what happened, but I had no idea anybody got hit — I didn’t even know there was an accident,'" Gildin said in a release. And, Gilden added: "This was a horrible tragedy, but it was a terrible accident — there was no crime."

Sini's office alleges that Hicks got out of his van, saw Christina on the ground, fled the scene, and then gave a statement admitting this — but Gilden's co-counsel Brent Chapman said, "It is not clear that any statement was given voluntarily."

Chapman added, "It is suspicious Hicks was questioned at his job and not at the police station."

Gilden said Hicks, 26, has never had any trouble with the law before and has no arrests or even a traffic ticket on his record. Asked about the indictment, Gildin said he believes “an indictment means nothing — it has nothing to do with guilt — no crime was committed here."

Chapman also said he feels there "are a lot more questions here than answers."

Meanwhile, the community continues to mourn the mother who leaves behind two young children.

Administrators of the Deer Park Unplugged group, Linda Marie, Mechelle Kemp Chuck and Gina Lieneck have asked the heartbroken to join together in a candelight rally for Christina on Monday, August 5 at 7 p.m. on Shade Street in Deer Park.

"This tragedy has truly shaken us up as a community," they said. "Please join us as we pray for Annmarie, her family and most importantly her two beautiful children Aidan and Alexa. We want to come together for the family to show them how much this has touched our lives and we hope this will give them strength to move forward with their lives. We feel their pain and want them to know."

A GoFundMe page was created by Christina's family to help with expenses after her death.

"Yesterday, July 29th, 2019, my parents lost a beloved daughter, my sisters and I lost a beloved sister, her friends lost a confidante, and two young and wonderful children lost their mother," Christina's sister Gina wrote on the GoFundMe page "Burial Arrangements."

"My sister Annmarie was a beautiful, quick-witted and strong young lady; she could accomplish anything she set her mind to," Gina wrote. "Her sudden death follows two years of chronic illness of our mother, which has been very hard on the family, to say the least. Our mother's medical bills have taken a severe toll on our financial stability."

The GoFundMe page was created, she said, to help with funeral arrangements as well as to provide financial support for Annmarie's two young children Aidan, 11, and Alexa, 7.

"We are sincerely grateful for any financial support. We understand that some are experiencing financial difficulties themselves and so we only ask for whatever amount you can afford to give," she wrote. "We are so very grateful for all of the loving support we have received thus far. We have received such kindness from strangers, food from neighbors, and it's quite overwhelming. At such a difficult time, it is our faith in God that keeps us afloat. And at the end of the day, we all celebrate her life, her smile, her love and how blessed we were to have her in our lives."

Hicks' next court date will take place in Central Islip on August 9.

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