Justice · Taconic crash sentencingNYPD wrong-way sentencing: Tiffany Howell gets 4 to 12 years for fatal crashAired October 29, 2026 at 2:29 AM UTCWritten October 29, 2026 at 2:36 AM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:07An off-duty NYPD sergeant drove the wrong way and killed a father of two.0:10Tiffany Howell now faces four to twelve years in prison.0:13Manuel Boidel's family says the punishment is too lenient.0:16How soon could Howell leave prison under the sentence the court imposed?0:19Bodell was sixty, one, a husband and father of two from Peekskill.0:23He was driving home after his night shift as a Manhattan condominium doorman.0:27Howell, forty-eight, is from Warwick in Orange County.0:30Their cars collided head on on the Taconic State Parkway.0:33Judge Anne B.0:34Bianchi imposed the sentence in Westchester County Court on October twenty-eight,0:38two thousand twenty-six.0:40Howell was led from the courtroom in handcuffs.0:42The punishment fell below the prison range sought by the state attorney general's0:45office.0:46Prosecutors asked for six to eighteen years.0:48The judge ordered four to twelve years for Howell's two felony convictions.0:52Those terms run concurrently, so she serves them together.0:55That leaves the prison range at four to twelve years.0:58Howell becomes eligible for parole after four years.1:00That gives her a first opportunity for release, but doesn't guarantee she'll leave1:04prison then.1:05T.1:05Here is no exact release date.1:07Her driver license has also been revoked.1:09The four to twelve year range had already been announced when she pleaded guilty in1:13August.1:14The collision happened on January twenty, two.1:16Howell pleaded guilty on August nineteenth to aggravated vehicular homicide and1:20second degree manslaughter.1:21The judge then set October twenty-eight for sentencing and said she would impose1:25four to twelve years, the punishment she ultimately ordered.1:28Aggravated vehicular homicide is a Class B felony.1:31Second, degree manslaughter is a Class C felony.1:34Howell also waived her right to appeal at the plea hearing.1:37While awaiting sentencing, her bail continued at a two hundred fifty dollars zero1:40bond of five hundred dollars zero partially secured bond or a one hundred dollars1:45zero cash alternative.1:46Howell drove south in the parkway's northbound lanes at more than fifty miles an1:50hour.1:51Investigators said she'd become intoxicated at an NYPD Holy Name Society off-duty1:55party in Greenberg.1:56Waddell was heading back to his home in Peekskill.1:59Prosecutors said Howell's blood alcohol content was at least zero point one eight,2:03more than twice the legal limit.2:04The crash happened late on January twenty two.2:07Boidel died at a hospital shortly after midnight.2:10The NYPD placed Howell on modified duty after the collision, then suspended her2:14without pay eleven days later.2:16Attorney General Letitia James's office prosecuted Howell through the state's police2:20death investigation framework.2:22Judge Anne B.2:23Bianchi accepted the guilty plea and imposed the sentence.2:25Westchester District Attorney Susan Cakees's office had no role in the prosecution.2:29State law gives the Attorney General's Office of Special Investigation2:33responsibility for assessing deaths a police or peace officer may have caused.2:36It covers off duty officers too.2:38The law applies regardless of whether the person who died was armed or in custody.2:43If that assessment indicates an officer may have caused the death, the office2:46conducts a full investigation.2:48Eric Boitel told the court that his father looked up to law enforcement.2:51He said, Howell knew the devastation drunk driving could cause because of her work2:55as an officer.2:56He said one reckless decision had left his family carrying lifelong pain.3:00Eric said his family would never be the same after losing his father.3:03Howell apologized in court and said she took full responsibility.3:07She called her decision terrible and its consequences irreversible.3:11She also said her actions were the complete opposite of the values she'd spent her3:14career upholding.3:15Howell said she would change what happened that night if she could.3:18Her attorney, Andrew Quinn, called the collision tragic beyond words and out of3:22character.3:23He described Howell as a woman of integrity, kindness, generosity, and compassion.3:28Boidel's family rejected the apology.3:30Eric said, It doesn't feel sincere.3:32It doesn't feel like it's from the heart.3:33Family member Marvin Boytel called it performative and said he still disagreed with3:38the punishment.3:38In his words, four to twelve isn't enough.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSS
