(WNY News Now) – Niyonna Cunningham receives 3 months jail time and 5 years probation for striking and killing 62-year-old woman while driving under the influence.
BUFFALO, NY — Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announced that 23-year-old Niyonna E. Cunningham of Buffalo has been sentenced for killing a pedestrian while driving under the influence of alcohol. Cunningham received a split sentence of 90 days in jail followed by five years of probation.
The incident occurred on the night of Thursday, November 28, 2024, around 10:00 p.m., when Buffalo Police responded to a report of a crash involving a vehicle and a pedestrian near Boehm Place and Bailey Avenue. Investigators determined that Cunningham was operating a Ford SUV while intoxicated, with an infant in the vehicle, when she struck 62-year-old Madonna Bishop. The victim was transported to ECMC, where she was later pronounced dead.
Cunningham pleaded guilty in May 2025 to one count of Vehicular Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a Class D felony. The plea satisfied the full indictment against her.
District Attorney Keane acknowledged the Buffalo Police Department Accident Investigation Unit for their work on the case. The prosecution was led 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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