(WNY News Now) – A 23-year-old Buffalo woman has admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol and fatally striking a pedestrian while her infant was in the vehicle.
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announced that Niyonna E. Cunningham, 23, of Buffalo, pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of Vehicular Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a Class “D” felony. The plea was entered before State Supreme Court Justice Paul B. Wojtaszek and satisfies the full indictment.
The charges stem from a fatal crash that occurred on the night of November 28, 2024. At approximately 10:00 p.m., Buffalo Police responded to a collision involving a vehicle and a pedestrian near the intersection of Boehm Place and Bailey Avenue.
Investigators determined that Cunningham was driving a Ford SUV under the influence of alcohol with an infant passenger in the vehicle when she struck 62-year-old Madonna Bishop. The victim was transported by ambulance to ECMC, where she was later pronounced dead.
Cunningham is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday, June 30, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. She faces a maximum sentence of seven years in prison. While the prosecution requested that she be remanded into custody pending sentencing, Judge Wojtaszek allowed her to remain free under supervision.
District Attorney Keane commended the Buffalo Police Department Accident Investigation Unit for their thorough work on the case.
The prosecution was handled by Assistant District Attorneys Christine O. Murray and Natasha G. Greenan, along with Chief Patrick B. Shanahan of the Vehicular Crimes Bureau.
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