QUEENS — A Queens man was sentenced to 18 years to life in prison after crashing a Laurelton baby shower before plowing his car into a crowd outside the event and killing a man, the Queens District Attorney announced Thursday.
Kevin Weekes, 22, snuck into the shower at the Vision’s Banquet Hall at 224-22 Merrick Blvd. on Nov. 8, 2014. He then got into a fist fight with some guests outside the venue before getting into his car and driving onto the sidewalk, striking Antoinette Greene, 21, who was critically injured and then ramming into Kevin Lewis, 20, who was dragged several feet and killed.
“A vehicle can be just as deadly as a gun. In this case, the defendant pushed his way into a baby shower and then later, following a dispute with invited guests, got behind the wheel of his Nissan Altima and drove into a crowd of people,” Queens DA Richard Brown said in a statement. “One man was killed and a woman was seriously injured. The sentence meted out by the Court reflects the seriousness of the crime.”
Weekes fled the scene and was later arrested after police connected the vehicle with the home where he was hiding out.
The Laurelton man was found guilty of second-degree murder, assault and reckless endangerment by Judge Gregory Lasak after a three-week bench trial at Queens Supreme Court.
His lawyer was not immediately available for comment.