By Shayna Jacobs
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — A Bronx mother patted her eyes with a tissue as she accepted blame on Tuesday for the death of Leandra Rosado, 11, in a drunk driving wreck last year on the Henry Hudson Parkway.
Carmen Huertas, 32, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and assault charges, and admitted to drinking cognac before taking the wheel of her Mercury Sable back in October. She had seven young girls in the car that night when she swerved off the road and crashed into into a tree.
"Is it true that because of your driving while under the influence of alcohol you caused the death of Ms. Rosado?" asked Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Charles Solomon.
"Yes," said a weeping Huertas, who shot glances and blew kisses at her family sitting in courtroom.
Rosado, who lived in Chelsea with her father, was the only one killed in the crash. The other girls were treated for serious injuries.
Huertas faced up to 15 years at trial. Instead, she was promised a shorter prison sentence in exchange for her plea.
Since Leandra's death, her father, Lenny Rosado, advocated for stricter drunk driving laws in New York State.
Leandra's Law, which makes it a felony to drive while intoxicated with children passengers and requiring an "ignition interlock device" be installed on the cars of all convicted drunk drivers, goes into effect statewide on Sunday.
The device requires a driver to pass a breathalyzer test before the vehicle will start.
Speaking to reporters after Huertas' plea, Lenny Rosado said he made it his mission to reform the drunk driving laws to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
"I didn't want to let my little girl down," Rosado said.
Rosado said he believes any prison sentence less than 10 years would be like "nothing" as a punishment for the woman who killed Leandra.
He said he wants Huertas punished for taking the life of his young daughter, who he still expects to hear when he arrives home at night.
"She was by my best friend, she was my Friday night Blockbuster date," the mourning father said." She was my buddy, my partner in crime — everywhere we went."
