Harrison "Harry" Kross Carnevale, 17, beloved son of John "Jay" and Donna (Cowan) Carnevale, passed away suddenly at Albany Medical Center from injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident on Sunday morning, July 1, 2007. Harry was born in Albany on February 24, 1990. He was a recent 2007 graduate of Shaker High School. He graduated one year early and, because of his passion for film, was accepted into the School of Film & Television program at Loyola Marymount University in Calif. He was a hardworking and diligent student and was a member of the National Junior Honor Society. He was also selected by his teachers to the National Youth Forum on Law in Washington, D.C. He enjoyed reading, music, the sports of basketball and baseball as well as all sorts of high-tech gadgets. Harry also had an extensive hat and sneaker collection. Harry was a special spirit, a unique person that touched the lives of all the people he came across in a positive way. His charming, friendly personality could light up any room he stepped in. His accepting nature of everyone made it easy to become a friend of his due to his outgoing ways. Due to his hardworking nature, Harry worked on weekends with his aunt and uncle at Estate Resolution as well as catering with Nicole's on Delaware in Albany. In addition to his parents, Harry is survived by his loving sister, Camille Carnevale of Albany; paternal grandparents, Jack (Charlene) Carnevale of Colonie; maternal grandparents, James (Lou Anne) Doin of Hoosick Falls; his aunts and uncles, Michael (Sherry) Carnevale, Joseph Carnevale, Gary (Kathy) Carne-vale, Debbi Slusz, David (Alison) Cowan, Ziek (Tony) Paterniti; as well as several loving cousins and hundreds of special friends, especially acknowledging the Gonzales family. He is predeceased by his aunt, Jennifer Carnevale. Relatives and friends are invited to call on Thursday from 4-7 p.m. at the Dufresne & Cav-anaugh Funeral Home, 149 Old Loudon Rd., Latham. A celebration of Harry's life will take place at 7:00 p.m. Thursday immediately following the visitation at the funeral home with Rev. Nick TeBordo officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Harry's memory to the Shaker High School Film & Cinema Program, 445 Watervliet-Shaker Rd., Latham, NY 12110.
Woman is indicted in fatal crash
Manslaughter, negligent homicide among charges after deadly collision
By SCOTT WALDMAN, Staff writer
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Saturday, July 7, 2007
ALBANY -- The Albany woman accused of killing a Latham teen in a car crash earlier this week just minutes after a police chase was indicted Friday on manslaughter and other charges, Albany County prosecutors said.
At 2:35 a.m. Sunday, Marianne Williams, 31, was driving her 1997 Plymouth Voyager minivan east on First Street at a high rate of speed, District Attorney David Soares' office said.
She ran a stop sign at Henry Johnson Boulevard and slammed into a car driven by Harrison Carnevale, 17, a graduate from Shaker High School. His life has been memorialized this week with vigils and other events by friends and relatives.
Williams had been involved in a police chase before the accident, though Albany police said they backed off the pursuit about five minutes before the crash.
The incident remains under investigation.
In addition to the second-degree manslaughter count, the indictment charges Williams with first-degree reckless endangerment, criminally negligent homicide and reckless driving, the district attorney's office said.
She remained in the county jail Friday night without bail.
State Department of Motor Vehicles records show Williams' license was suspended in October 1998 after she ignored a summons in Ulster County. She hasn't had a valid license since, agency spokesman Ken Brown has said.
Albany, N.Y. -- Family and friends of Harry Carnevale gathered at the Albany Public Library Friday morning, the somber anniversary of his death, for a memorial service where a bronze plaque etched with Carnevale's writing style will be unveiled to honor his ambition.
The 17-year-old Latham boy was hit and killed by a woman trying to evade police on July 1, 2007. Harry's Memorial Plaque will rest permanently in the garden of the library in Arbor Hill, which is located at the northeast corner of Henry Johnson Boulevard and First Street, the site of the crash.
Carenvale was months away from attending film school in California when he was killed.
This event will be in lieu of "Harry's Walk" this year.
"There are a few remarkable people that cross our path in this life. Without a doubt, Harry is one of those people," said Jay Carnevale, the boy's father, on a website announcing the event. "His greatest quality was his sense of humor and his ability to make people laugh. I love Harry with all my heart and I miss Harry and both those things will shape our lives forever."
From The Albany Times Union, 24 January 2012:
ALBANY — The city of Albany has agreed to pay $200,000 to the parents of a 17-year-old youth who was killed by a woman fleeing police when her vehicle slammed into the teenager's car at a high rate of speed four years ago.
The insurance company for Marianne Williams, who was driving the car that killed Harrison Carnevale, a Shaker High School graduate, will pay an additional $50,000 to Carnevale's parents, according to a settlement order filed in state Supreme Court.
The agreement was reached less than a month before a trial was scheduled to begin in Albany on a lawsuit filed by Carnevale's parents, Jay and Donna, who waged a years-long legal battle to get police records related to their son's death. The couple separated after their son was killed.
"It was about holding somebody accountable, the city of Albany accountable, for something they did wrong," Jay Carnevale said. "Marianne Williams is held accountable because she's serving 6 to 12 years (in state prison)."
Shortly after the crash, police officials said they had terminated their pursuit of Williams, who was being chased for a low-level infraction and had a history of mental health problems. Police officials said a sergeant instructed patrol officers to abandon the pursuit seconds after it began, as Williams drove wildly across the city's densely populated West Hill and Arbor Hill neighborhoods.
But two years ago, during an ongoing legal battle between the city and the Carnevales over access to police records, the couple and their attorney discovered seven witness statements had been withheld by the city despite a court order that they be turned over. Some of the accounts suggested officers may have continued chasing Williams with their sirens off.
A city attorney characterized their failure to disclose the records as "inadvertent" and said they were missed because the witness statements were part of an internal affairs file.
"We had our feelings right from the start because there were witnesses telling us things and everything was just denied even though people were telling us," Donna Carnevale said. "I really didn't feel like they ever just admitted their fault. ... How was Harry supposed to know, if they turn off their sirens? ... He didn't stand a chance."
Harry Carnevale, an honors student, was on his way home to Cohoes after working at a restaurant on the South Side of Albany in July 2007. The fatal crash took place weeks after he'd graduated a year early from high school and was making plans to attend a film studies program at Loyola-Marymount University in Los Angeles.
Carnevale's vehicle was broadsided by Williams as he drove north on Henry Johnson Boulevard after dropping off a co-worker in Arbor Hill.
Last year, the Times Union reported the city of Albany had quietly paid the family an additional $10,000 for legal fees related to the Carnevales' efforts to obtain the witness statements that had been withheld by the city.
Prior to turning over those records, the city required the Carnevales to sign a confidentiality agreement regarding the $10,000 payment. It was made public last year after the Times Union learned of the settlement and filed a request for the records.
The payment was approved by the city's Board of Estimate & Apportionment, whose members include Mayor Jerry Jennings, Treasurer Kathy Sheehan, Comptroller Leif Engstrom, Common Council President Carolyn McLaughlin and Corporation Counsel John Reilly, the city's chief attorney.
City police officials declined comment on the settlement. Reilly referred comment to Shawn F. Brousseau, a private attorney who handled the case for the city.
"It's unfortunate that she (Williams) didn't have more insurance, but it's just such a terrible tragedy," Brousseau said. He added the city moved for a settlement recently after a judge determined there were enough "questions of fact" for a jury to decide whether police shared any blame for what happened.
"He was such a good kid," Brousseau said. "We think it was in the best interest of everyone to settle the case and give the Carnevales some closure on the matter."
Williams, 35, told detectives she saw "monsters" in her rear-view mirror as she fled from officers following a minor traffic infraction. She was convicted of manslaughter and will be eligible for parole in June 2013.
Several weeks before the crash, Williams had been released on probation from a mental health tier at the Albany County jail, where she was held on unrelated criminal charges. She was released from jail despite the fact a City Court judge did not require Williams to provide an address where she would be living and where her probation officer could reach her after her release.
Williams never reported to a probation officer prior to the crash, according to a person familiar with the matter but not authorized to comment publicly.
The Carnevales' attorney, Kevin A. Luibrand, said Carnevale's parents were "committed ... to getting to the truth."
"Starting right after the collision, certain (officials) in the city issued a cover story that claimed there was no chase at the time of the collision which was not true, and then shut down the family's access to accurate information," Luibrand said. "In two years of questioning of police officers and witnesses, and studying tapes, the family learned that the police department had a 'no-pursuit' policy that many officers did not know about or what it meant, and did not follow, and that they had chased the car the wrong way on a one-way street, where it struck Harry's car."
Reach Lyons at 454-5547 or by email at [email protected].
Woman is indicted in fatal crash
Manslaughter, negligent homicide among charges after deadly collision
By SCOTT WALDMAN, Staff writer
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Saturday, July 7, 2007
ALBANY -- The Albany woman accused of killing a Latham teen in a car crash earlier this week just minutes after a police chase was indicted Friday on manslaughter and other charges, Albany County prosecutors said.
At 2:35 a.m. Sunday, Marianne Williams, 31, was driving her 1997 Plymouth Voyager minivan east on First Street at a high rate of speed, District Attorney David Soares' office said.
She ran a stop sign at Henry Johnson Boulevard and slammed into a car driven by Harrison Carnevale, 17, a graduate from Shaker High School. His life has been memorialized this week with vigils and other events by friends and relatives.
Williams had been involved in a police chase before the accident, though Albany police said they backed off the pursuit about five minutes before the crash.
The incident remains under investigation.
In addition to the second-degree manslaughter count, the indictment charges Williams with first-degree reckless endangerment, criminally negligent homicide and reckless driving, the district attorney's office said.
She remained in the county jail Friday night without bail.
State Department of Motor Vehicles records show Williams' license was suspended in October 1998 after she ignored a summons in Ulster County. She hasn't had a valid license since, agency spokesman Ken Brown has said.
Albany, N.Y. -- Family and friends of Harry Carnevale gathered at the Albany Public Library Friday morning, the somber anniversary of his death, for a memorial service where a bronze plaque etched with Carnevale's writing style will be unveiled to honor his ambition.
The 17-year-old Latham boy was hit and killed by a woman trying to evade police on July 1, 2007. Harry's Memorial Plaque will rest permanently in the garden of the library in Arbor Hill, which is located at the northeast corner of Henry Johnson Boulevard and First Street, the site of the crash.
Carenvale was months away from attending film school in California when he was killed.
This event will be in lieu of "Harry's Walk" this year.
"There are a few remarkable people that cross our path in this life. Without a doubt, Harry is one of those people," said Jay Carnevale, the boy's father, on a website announcing the event. "His greatest quality was his sense of humor and his ability to make people laugh. I love Harry with all my heart and I miss Harry and both those things will shape our lives forever."
From The Albany Times Union, 24 January 2012:
ALBANY — The city of Albany has agreed to pay $200,000 to the parents of a 17-year-old youth who was killed by a woman fleeing police when her vehicle slammed into the teenager's car at a high rate of speed four years ago.
The insurance company for Marianne Williams, who was driving the car that killed Harrison Carnevale, a Shaker High School graduate, will pay an additional $50,000 to Carnevale's parents, according to a settlement order filed in state Supreme Court.
The agreement was reached less than a month before a trial was scheduled to begin in Albany on a lawsuit filed by Carnevale's parents, Jay and Donna, who waged a years-long legal battle to get police records related to their son's death. The couple separated after their son was killed.
"It was about holding somebody accountable, the city of Albany accountable, for something they did wrong," Jay Carnevale said. "Marianne Williams is held accountable because she's serving 6 to 12 years (in state prison)."
Shortly after the crash, police officials said they had terminated their pursuit of Williams, who was being chased for a low-level infraction and had a history of mental health problems. Police officials said a sergeant instructed patrol officers to abandon the pursuit seconds after it began, as Williams drove wildly across the city's densely populated West Hill and Arbor Hill neighborhoods.
But two years ago, during an ongoing legal battle between the city and the Carnevales over access to police records, the couple and their attorney discovered seven witness statements had been withheld by the city despite a court order that they be turned over. Some of the accounts suggested officers may have continued chasing Williams with their sirens off.
A city attorney characterized their failure to disclose the records as "inadvertent" and said they were missed because the witness statements were part of an internal affairs file.
"We had our feelings right from the start because there were witnesses telling us things and everything was just denied even though people were telling us," Donna Carnevale said. "I really didn't feel like they ever just admitted their fault. ... How was Harry supposed to know, if they turn off their sirens? ... He didn't stand a chance."
Harry Carnevale, an honors student, was on his way home to Cohoes after working at a restaurant on the South Side of Albany in July 2007. The fatal crash took place weeks after he'd graduated a year early from high school and was making plans to attend a film studies program at Loyola-Marymount University in Los Angeles.
Carnevale's vehicle was broadsided by Williams as he drove north on Henry Johnson Boulevard after dropping off a co-worker in Arbor Hill.
Last year, the Times Union reported the city of Albany had quietly paid the family an additional $10,000 for legal fees related to the Carnevales' efforts to obtain the witness statements that had been withheld by the city.
Prior to turning over those records, the city required the Carnevales to sign a confidentiality agreement regarding the $10,000 payment. It was made public last year after the Times Union learned of the settlement and filed a request for the records.
The payment was approved by the city's Board of Estimate & Apportionment, whose members include Mayor Jerry Jennings, Treasurer Kathy Sheehan, Comptroller Leif Engstrom, Common Council President Carolyn McLaughlin and Corporation Counsel John Reilly, the city's chief attorney.
City police officials declined comment on the settlement. Reilly referred comment to Shawn F. Brousseau, a private attorney who handled the case for the city.
"It's unfortunate that she (Williams) didn't have more insurance, but it's just such a terrible tragedy," Brousseau said. He added the city moved for a settlement recently after a judge determined there were enough "questions of fact" for a jury to decide whether police shared any blame for what happened.
"He was such a good kid," Brousseau said. "We think it was in the best interest of everyone to settle the case and give the Carnevales some closure on the matter."
Williams, 35, told detectives she saw "monsters" in her rear-view mirror as she fled from officers following a minor traffic infraction. She was convicted of manslaughter and will be eligible for parole in June 2013.
Several weeks before the crash, Williams had been released on probation from a mental health tier at the Albany County jail, where she was held on unrelated criminal charges. She was released from jail despite the fact a City Court judge did not require Williams to provide an address where she would be living and where her probation officer could reach her after her release.
Williams never reported to a probation officer prior to the crash, according to a person familiar with the matter but not authorized to comment publicly.
The Carnevales' attorney, Kevin A. Luibrand, said Carnevale's parents were "committed ... to getting to the truth."
"Starting right after the collision, certain (officials) in the city issued a cover story that claimed there was no chase at the time of the collision which was not true, and then shut down the family's access to accurate information," Luibrand said. "In two years of questioning of police officers and witnesses, and studying tapes, the family learned that the police department had a 'no-pursuit' policy that many officers did not know about or what it meant, and did not follow, and that they had chased the car the wrong way on a one-way street, where it struck Harry's car."
Reach Lyons at 454-5547 or by email at [email protected].
Harrison "Harry" Kross Carnevale, 17, beloved son of John "Jay" and Donna (Cowan) Carnevale, passed away suddenly at Albany Medical Center from injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident on Sunday morning, July 1, 2007. Harry was born in Albany on February 24, 1990. He was a recent 2007 graduate of Shaker High School. He graduated one year early and, because of his passion for film, was accepted into the School of Film & Television program at Loyola Marymount University in Calif. He was a hardworking and diligent student and was a member of the National Junior Honor Society. He was also selected by his teachers to the National Youth Forum on Law in Washington, D.C. He enjoyed reading, music, the sports of basketball and baseball as well as all sorts of high-tech gadgets. Harry also had an extensive hat and sneaker collection. Harry was a special spirit, a unique person that touched the lives of all the people he came across in a positive way. His charming, friendly personality could light up any room he stepped in. His accepting nature of everyone made it easy to become a friend of his due to his outgoing ways. Due to his hardworking nature, Harry worked on weekends with his aunt and uncle at Estate Resolution as well as catering with Nicole's on Delaware in Albany. In addition to his parents, Harry is survived by his loving sister, Camille Carnevale of Albany; paternal grandparents, Jack (Charlene) Carnevale of Colonie; maternal grandparents, James (Lou Anne) Doin of Hoosick Falls; his aunts and uncles, Michael (Sherry) Carnevale, Joseph Carnevale, Gary (Kathy) Carne-vale, Debbi Slusz, David (Alison) Cowan, Ziek (Tony) Paterniti; as well as several loving cousins and hundreds of special friends, especially acknowledging the Gonzales family. He is predeceased by his aunt, Jennifer Carnevale. Relatives and friends are invited to call on Thursday from 4-7 p.m. at the Dufresne & Cav-anaugh Funeral Home, 149 Old Loudon Rd., Latham. A celebration of Harry's life will take place at 7:00 p.m. Thursday immediately following the visitation at the funeral home with Rev. Nick TeBordo officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Harry's memory to the Shaker High School Film & Cinema Program, 445 Watervliet-Shaker Rd., Latham, NY 12110.
Woman is indicted in fatal crash
Manslaughter, negligent homicide among charges after deadly collision
By SCOTT WALDMAN, Staff writer
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Saturday, July 7, 2007
ALBANY -- The Albany woman accused of killing a Latham teen in a car crash earlier this week just minutes after a police chase was indicted Friday on manslaughter and other charges, Albany County prosecutors said.
At 2:35 a.m. Sunday, Marianne Williams, 31, was driving her 1997 Plymouth Voyager minivan east on First Street at a high rate of speed, District Attorney David Soares' office said.
She ran a stop sign at Henry Johnson Boulevard and slammed into a car driven by Harrison Carnevale, 17, a graduate from Shaker High School. His life has been memorialized this week with vigils and other events by friends and relatives.
Williams had been involved in a police chase before the accident, though Albany police said they backed off the pursuit about five minutes before the crash.
The incident remains under investigation.
In addition to the second-degree manslaughter count, the indictment charges Williams with first-degree reckless endangerment, criminally negligent homicide and reckless driving, the district attorney's office said.
She remained in the county jail Friday night without bail.
State Department of Motor Vehicles records show Williams' license was suspended in October 1998 after she ignored a summons in Ulster County. She hasn't had a valid license since, agency spokesman Ken Brown has said.
Albany, N.Y. -- Family and friends of Harry Carnevale gathered at the Albany Public Library Friday morning, the somber anniversary of his death, for a memorial service where a bronze plaque etched with Carnevale's writing style will be unveiled to honor his ambition.
The 17-year-old Latham boy was hit and killed by a woman trying to evade police on July 1, 2007. Harry's Memorial Plaque will rest permanently in the garden of the library in Arbor Hill, which is located at the northeast corner of Henry Johnson Boulevard and First Street, the site of the crash.
Carenvale was months away from attending film school in California when he was killed.
This event will be in lieu of "Harry's Walk" this year.
"There are a few remarkable people that cross our path in this life. Without a doubt, Harry is one of those people," said Jay Carnevale, the boy's father, on a website announcing the event. "His greatest quality was his sense of humor and his ability to make people laugh. I love Harry with all my heart and I miss Harry and both those things will shape our lives forever."
From The Albany Times Union, 24 January 2012:
ALBANY — The city of Albany has agreed to pay $200,000 to the parents of a 17-year-old youth who was killed by a woman fleeing police when her vehicle slammed into the teenager's car at a high rate of speed four years ago.
The insurance company for Marianne Williams, who was driving the car that killed Harrison Carnevale, a Shaker High School graduate, will pay an additional $50,000 to Carnevale's parents, according to a settlement order filed in state Supreme Court.
The agreement was reached less than a month before a trial was scheduled to begin in Albany on a lawsuit filed by Carnevale's parents, Jay and Donna, who waged a years-long legal battle to get police records related to their son's death. The couple separated after their son was killed.
"It was about holding somebody accountable, the city of Albany accountable, for something they did wrong," Jay Carnevale said. "Marianne Williams is held accountable because she's serving 6 to 12 years (in state prison)."
Shortly after the crash, police officials said they had terminated their pursuit of Williams, who was being chased for a low-level infraction and had a history of mental health problems. Police officials said a sergeant instructed patrol officers to abandon the pursuit seconds after it began, as Williams drove wildly across the city's densely populated West Hill and Arbor Hill neighborhoods.
But two years ago, during an ongoing legal battle between the city and the Carnevales over access to police records, the couple and their attorney discovered seven witness statements had been withheld by the city despite a court order that they be turned over. Some of the accounts suggested officers may have continued chasing Williams with their sirens off.
A city attorney characterized their failure to disclose the records as "inadvertent" and said they were missed because the witness statements were part of an internal affairs file.
"We had our feelings right from the start because there were witnesses telling us things and everything was just denied even though people were telling us," Donna Carnevale said. "I really didn't feel like they ever just admitted their fault. ... How was Harry supposed to know, if they turn off their sirens? ... He didn't stand a chance."
Harry Carnevale, an honors student, was on his way home to Cohoes after working at a restaurant on the South Side of Albany in July 2007. The fatal crash took place weeks after he'd graduated a year early from high school and was making plans to attend a film studies program at Loyola-Marymount University in Los Angeles.
Carnevale's vehicle was broadsided by Williams as he drove north on Henry Johnson Boulevard after dropping off a co-worker in Arbor Hill.
Last year, the Times Union reported the city of Albany had quietly paid the family an additional $10,000 for legal fees related to the Carnevales' efforts to obtain the witness statements that had been withheld by the city.
Prior to turning over those records, the city required the Carnevales to sign a confidentiality agreement regarding the $10,000 payment. It was made public last year after the Times Union learned of the settlement and filed a request for the records.
The payment was approved by the city's Board of Estimate & Apportionment, whose members include Mayor Jerry Jennings, Treasurer Kathy Sheehan, Comptroller Leif Engstrom, Common Council President Carolyn McLaughlin and Corporation Counsel John Reilly, the city's chief attorney.
City police officials declined comment on the settlement. Reilly referred comment to Shawn F. Brousseau, a private attorney who handled the case for the city.
"It's unfortunate that she (Williams) didn't have more insurance, but it's just such a terrible tragedy," Brousseau said. He added the city moved for a settlement recently after a judge determined there were enough "questions of fact" for a jury to decide whether police shared any blame for what happened.
"He was such a good kid," Brousseau said. "We think it was in the best interest of everyone to settle the case and give the Carnevales some closure on the matter."
Williams, 35, told detectives she saw "monsters" in her rear-view mirror as she fled from officers following a minor traffic infraction. She was convicted of manslaughter and will be eligible for parole in June 2013.
Several weeks before the crash, Williams had been released on probation from a mental health tier at the Albany County jail, where she was held on unrelated criminal charges. She was released from jail despite the fact a City Court judge did not require Williams to provide an address where she would be living and where her probation officer could reach her after her release.
Williams never reported to a probation officer prior to the crash, according to a person familiar with the matter but not authorized to comment publicly.
The Carnevales' attorney, Kevin A. Luibrand, said Carnevale's parents were "committed ... to getting to the truth."
"Starting right after the collision, certain (officials) in the city issued a cover story that claimed there was no chase at the time of the collision which was not true, and then shut down the family's access to accurate information," Luibrand said. "In two years of questioning of police officers and witnesses, and studying tapes, the family learned that the police department had a 'no-pursuit' policy that many officers did not know about or what it meant, and did not follow, and that they had chased the car the wrong way on a one-way street, where it struck Harry's car."
Reach Lyons at 454-5547 or by email at [email protected].
Woman is indicted in fatal crash
Manslaughter, negligent homicide among charges after deadly collision
By SCOTT WALDMAN, Staff writer
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Saturday, July 7, 2007
ALBANY -- The Albany woman accused of killing a Latham teen in a car crash earlier this week just minutes after a police chase was indicted Friday on manslaughter and other charges, Albany County prosecutors said.
At 2:35 a.m. Sunday, Marianne Williams, 31, was driving her 1997 Plymouth Voyager minivan east on First Street at a high rate of speed, District Attorney David Soares' office said.
She ran a stop sign at Henry Johnson Boulevard and slammed into a car driven by Harrison Carnevale, 17, a graduate from Shaker High School. His life has been memorialized this week with vigils and other events by friends and relatives.
Williams had been involved in a police chase before the accident, though Albany police said they backed off the pursuit about five minutes before the crash.
The incident remains under investigation.
In addition to the second-degree manslaughter count, the indictment charges Williams with first-degree reckless endangerment, criminally negligent homicide and reckless driving, the district attorney's office said.
She remained in the county jail Friday night without bail.
State Department of Motor Vehicles records show Williams' license was suspended in October 1998 after she ignored a summons in Ulster County. She hasn't had a valid license since, agency spokesman Ken Brown has said.
Albany, N.Y. -- Family and friends of Harry Carnevale gathered at the Albany Public Library Friday morning, the somber anniversary of his death, for a memorial service where a bronze plaque etched with Carnevale's writing style will be unveiled to honor his ambition.
The 17-year-old Latham boy was hit and killed by a woman trying to evade police on July 1, 2007. Harry's Memorial Plaque will rest permanently in the garden of the library in Arbor Hill, which is located at the northeast corner of Henry Johnson Boulevard and First Street, the site of the crash.
Carenvale was months away from attending film school in California when he was killed.
This event will be in lieu of "Harry's Walk" this year.
"There are a few remarkable people that cross our path in this life. Without a doubt, Harry is one of those people," said Jay Carnevale, the boy's father, on a website announcing the event. "His greatest quality was his sense of humor and his ability to make people laugh. I love Harry with all my heart and I miss Harry and both those things will shape our lives forever."
From The Albany Times Union, 24 January 2012:
ALBANY — The city of Albany has agreed to pay $200,000 to the parents of a 17-year-old youth who was killed by a woman fleeing police when her vehicle slammed into the teenager's car at a high rate of speed four years ago.
The insurance company for Marianne Williams, who was driving the car that killed Harrison Carnevale, a Shaker High School graduate, will pay an additional $50,000 to Carnevale's parents, according to a settlement order filed in state Supreme Court.
The agreement was reached less than a month before a trial was scheduled to begin in Albany on a lawsuit filed by Carnevale's parents, Jay and Donna, who waged a years-long legal battle to get police records related to their son's death. The couple separated after their son was killed.
"It was about holding somebody accountable, the city of Albany accountable, for something they did wrong," Jay Carnevale said. "Marianne Williams is held accountable because she's serving 6 to 12 years (in state prison)."
Shortly after the crash, police officials said they had terminated their pursuit of Williams, who was being chased for a low-level infraction and had a history of mental health problems. Police officials said a sergeant instructed patrol officers to abandon the pursuit seconds after it began, as Williams drove wildly across the city's densely populated West Hill and Arbor Hill neighborhoods.
But two years ago, during an ongoing legal battle between the city and the Carnevales over access to police records, the couple and their attorney discovered seven witness statements had been withheld by the city despite a court order that they be turned over. Some of the accounts suggested officers may have continued chasing Williams with their sirens off.
A city attorney characterized their failure to disclose the records as "inadvertent" and said they were missed because the witness statements were part of an internal affairs file.
"We had our feelings right from the start because there were witnesses telling us things and everything was just denied even though people were telling us," Donna Carnevale said. "I really didn't feel like they ever just admitted their fault. ... How was Harry supposed to know, if they turn off their sirens? ... He didn't stand a chance."
Harry Carnevale, an honors student, was on his way home to Cohoes after working at a restaurant on the South Side of Albany in July 2007. The fatal crash took place weeks after he'd graduated a year early from high school and was making plans to attend a film studies program at Loyola-Marymount University in Los Angeles.
Carnevale's vehicle was broadsided by Williams as he drove north on Henry Johnson Boulevard after dropping off a co-worker in Arbor Hill.
Last year, the Times Union reported the city of Albany had quietly paid the family an additional $10,000 for legal fees related to the Carnevales' efforts to obtain the witness statements that had been withheld by the city.
Prior to turning over those records, the city required the Carnevales to sign a confidentiality agreement regarding the $10,000 payment. It was made public last year after the Times Union learned of the settlement and filed a request for the records.
The payment was approved by the city's Board of Estimate & Apportionment, whose members include Mayor Jerry Jennings, Treasurer Kathy Sheehan, Comptroller Leif Engstrom, Common Council President Carolyn McLaughlin and Corporation Counsel John Reilly, the city's chief attorney.
City police officials declined comment on the settlement. Reilly referred comment to Shawn F. Brousseau, a private attorney who handled the case for the city.
"It's unfortunate that she (Williams) didn't have more insurance, but it's just such a terrible tragedy," Brousseau said. He added the city moved for a settlement recently after a judge determined there were enough "questions of fact" for a jury to decide whether police shared any blame for what happened.
"He was such a good kid," Brousseau said. "We think it was in the best interest of everyone to settle the case and give the Carnevales some closure on the matter."
Williams, 35, told detectives she saw "monsters" in her rear-view mirror as she fled from officers following a minor traffic infraction. She was convicted of manslaughter and will be eligible for parole in June 2013.
Several weeks before the crash, Williams had been released on probation from a mental health tier at the Albany County jail, where she was held on unrelated criminal charges. She was released from jail despite the fact a City Court judge did not require Williams to provide an address where she would be living and where her probation officer could reach her after her release.
Williams never reported to a probation officer prior to the crash, according to a person familiar with the matter but not authorized to comment publicly.
The Carnevales' attorney, Kevin A. Luibrand, said Carnevale's parents were "committed ... to getting to the truth."
"Starting right after the collision, certain (officials) in the city issued a cover story that claimed there was no chase at the time of the collision which was not true, and then shut down the family's access to accurate information," Luibrand said. "In two years of questioning of police officers and witnesses, and studying tapes, the family learned that the police department had a 'no-pursuit' policy that many officers did not know about or what it meant, and did not follow, and that they had chased the car the wrong way on a one-way street, where it struck Harry's car."
Reach Lyons at 454-5547 or by email at [email protected].
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