MUGSHOT: Woman Pleads Guilty to Fatally Running Over Mourning Mom at Daughter's MS-13 Murder Site After Being Recognized by Trump
Annmarie Drago pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide.
Annmarie Drago, a Long Island woman who fatally ran over a grieving mom who was mourning the death of her daughter by MS-13 members, pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide.
A new mugshot obtained by RadarOnline.com showed a stone-faced Drago amid an update from Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney, who revealed that she accepted a plea deal.
Authorities said Drago struck Rodriguez (seen above) when she accelerated her vehicle and then drove over her in Brentwood in Sept. 2018.
Drago, 63, of Patchogue fatally struck Evelyn Rodriguez, 50, of Brentwood with her vehicle following a dispute regarding Drago's removal of a memorial honoring Rodriguez's daughter, 16-year-old Kayla Cuevas, who was murdered by members of the Mara Salvatrucha gang better known as MS-13.
The incident took place in Brentwood in 2018 where her 16-year-old daughter's body was found beaten and slashed two years prior.
Prosecutors stated that Kayla was targeted because of feuds with gang members at school. They believe her friend Nisa, who was also killed, was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Rodriguez became a prominent anti-gang activist after the tragic death of her teenage daughter.
Rodriguez was later recognized by former president Donald Trump at the State of the Union in his campaign against MS-13 gang violence. Trump also appeared alongside her during a roundtable on immigration policy at Morrelly Homeland Security Center in 2018.
"Evelyn Rodriguez was still mourning the loss of her daughter when this defendant dismantled her daughter's memorial, and then struck the victim with her vehicle, ultimately causing her death. We hope this plea brings some sense of peace and closure to Ms. Rodriguez's family, a family that has suffered multiple tragic losses," read a statement from Tierney.
The defendant took responsibility for removing items from the site created by Rodriguez in memory of her daughter, which was located in front of Drago's Brentwood home.
Drago was trying to sell the home at the time and feared the memorial could scare off buyers, prosecutors said.
Rodriguez was later recognized by former president Donald Trump at the State of the Union in his campaign against MS-13 gang violence.
It was revealed that "Drago threw out or destroyed many of the memorial items including a large photo board of Kayla, as well as a large floral wreath which she placed in the back of her vehicle."
The confrontation between Rodriguez and Drago was filmed by the media as the grieving mom asked the woman to return the items.
Drago attempted to leave the scene around 4:15 PM, accelerating her vehicle when she knocked Rodriguez down and "then continued to drive over her."
Rodriguez was later pronounced dead at Southside Hospital after suffering multiple injuries including a skull fracture.
The confrontation between Rodriguez and Drago was filmed by the media as the grieving mom asked the woman to return the items.
Drago was initially convicted in March 2020 and was later sentenced to nine months in jail. The case took a turn when the Appellate Division reversed the conviction in July 2022.
The District Attorney's Office retried her again in Oct. 2023 and a jury deadlocked on the criminally negligent homicide charge.
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Prosecutors were planning to retry her a third time before Drago entered her guilty plea.
Drago is expected to receive five years of probation, although the DA's office recommended she serve one to three years behind bars. Her sentencing hearing has been set for August 1.
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