(WNY News Now) – A Buffalo man has been sentenced to 3.5 to 7 years in state prison after pleading guilty to charges stemming from the December 2025 death of a pedestrian.
James E. Clarke, 32, of Buffalo, was sentenced Monday before State Supreme Court Justice Debra L. Givens in connection with the death of 45-year-old Wendy Jasper.
Photo By Erie County DA’s Office
According to the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Clarke was driving on the evening of Dec. 27, 2025, when his vehicle struck Jasper in a crosswalk at Goodrich Street and Ellicott Street in Buffalo. Prosecutors said Clarke was under the combined influence of alcohol and a drug at the time of the crash.
Jasper was transported by ambulance to Buffalo General Hospital, where she later died from her injuries.
Clarke pleaded guilty in August to three counts of Vehicular Manslaughter in the Second Degree, all Class D felonies. The guilty plea resolved the indictment.
In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Givens imposed an indefinite lifetime revocation of Clarke’s driver’s license at the request of the Erie County District Attorney’s Office.
The investigation was conducted by Officer Corey Krug and members of the Buffalo Police Department Accident Investigation Unit. The District Attorney’s Office also credited victim advocate Cathy Mitchell for her work with the case.
Assistant District Attorney Christine O. Murray of the Vehicular Crimes Bureau prosecuted the case.
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