FORT GREENE — A out-of-control motorist who killed a 9-year-old boy in Fort Greene pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide but will not serve jail time, according to Brooklyn DA's office.
Anthony Byrd, 60, admitted in Brooklyn Supreme Court to killing Lucian Merryweather saying “I hit him with my car," the Daily News first reported. He faced four years in jail if convicted.
Byrd was driving his SUV down DeKalb Avenue on Nov. 2, 2013 when he lost control and drove onto the sidewalk, pinning Merryweather under the car as the boy's mother looked on.
Merryweather was declared dead at the scene and his mother and brother were taken to hospital in stable condition. A 28-year-old woman, who was also hit, was rushed to Kings County Hospital with a leg injury.
Byrd, who had previously been convicted of sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl in 2001, will have his driver's license revoked for five years and will also be on probation and serve 20 days of community service, according to the News.
Byrd's lawyer Danielle Eaddy called the incident a "horrible accident."
"My client is sincerely sorry for his role," she said adding that the courts found there was no intoxication or speeding involved in the case and that Byrd remained at the scene.
