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Marlon Sewell, 39, of Brownsville, drove his 2004 Chevy Suburban onto a busy sidewalk in Fort Greene last December, striking 30-year-old Victoria Nicodemus, her companion, Gerald Toth, 37; and 75-year-old Ida Turner.
Nichodemus was killed while Toth and Turner suffered serious injuries.
According to Thompson, investigators uncovered a problem with Sewell’s car that contributed to the crash.
Sewell told police, the district attorney said, that he was aware that a gas leak was causing harmful fumes to seep into his car.
Media reports said that the father of six's lawyer is disputing that Sewell told police that he had lost consciousness right before the crash.
The dangerous condition contributed to the tragic incident, Thompson said in the indictment.
Sewell was arraigned Thursday in Brooklyn Supreme Court and charged with second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, second-degree assault, second-degree reckless endangerment, reckless driving, third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle, failure to yield right-of-way, driving on sidewalks, and four counts of third-degree assault.
He was released without bail and his license was suspended.
If convicted of the top count, Sewell faces up to 15 years in prison, Thompson said.
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