The New York Times-20080124-L-I- Man Sentenced to Prison for Campus Hit and Run
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L.I. Man Sentenced to Prison for Campus Hit and Run
A 19-year-old Long Island man was sentenced on Wednesday to three years and a month in prison for the hit-and-run death of a University of Connecticut freshman last winter.
The man, Anthony P. Alvino, of Lindenhurst, N.Y., said during an emotional hearing in Superior Court that he hoped the family of the victim, Carlee Wines, could forgive him, but that he could never forgive himself.
I'm truly sorry for causing the death of Carlee Wines, Mr. Alvino said. It's been something I've wanted to say for the past year. I was advised not to. I know I should have stopped. I wish there was something I could say that would lessen the pain and suffering I have caused.
Mr. Alvino pleaded no contest in October to misconduct with a motor vehicle and to evading responsibility. His plea agreement called for him to serve four years in prison, although his attorney had the right to argue for a lower sentence.
Ms. Wines, 19, of Manalapan, N.J., was hit on Jan. 20, 2007, by the sport utility vehicle that Mr. Alvino was driving as she crossed a street on the University of Connecticut campus in Storrs. He drove away without stopping to help her. The police said that on Jan. 23, 2007, the day after Ms. Wines died of her injuries, Mr. Alvino's parents drove to St. Bonaventure University, near Olean, N.Y., where their son was a student, and advised two of his friends who had been in the S.U.V. not to tell anyone about the crash.
Mr. Alvino's parents face charges, as does his girlfriend, Michele A. Hall, whom he was visiting at the University of Connecticut and who was in the vehicle when Ms. Wines was hit.
I couldn't begin to describe to you who my daughter was, Ms. Wines's mother, Pamela Wines, told Judge Terence Sullivan on Wednesday. I could share stories with you, but it would just not do her justice. She added: To just leave her at the side of the road to die is just incomprehensible. He should be held responsible.
Ms. Hall and Mr. Alvino were arrested in February after the police tracked him down through Facebook, the social networking Web site.
