A Stuyvesant Heights woman was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison Thursday for fatally striking a 70-year-old woman with her SUV after deliberately driving onto the sidewalk in an attempt to run over a male acquaintance.
Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Michael Kitsis handed down the sentence on June 13 to Layla Adredini, 33, after she was convicted of second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder on May 23 following a jury trial, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney Office.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Adredini was driving her 2003 white Ford Explorer near 2185 Pacific Street in Ocean Hill the evening of August 24, 2021, when she deliberately drove onto the sidewalk in an attempt to hit a 50-year-old male acquaintance.
After missing her intended target, Adredini crashed into Brenda Ann Whidbee, 70, who was seated in a chair outside her home.
The evidence further revealed that Adredini attempted to flee the scene on foot but was stopped by neighborhood residents.
Whidbee, a grandmother and a beloved community member for over 40 years, suffered severe injuries and was taken to Brookdale Hospital, where she was pronounced dead
“Today’s sentence holds this defendant accountable for her shocking and depraved actions that cost an innocent woman her life,” Gonzalez said. “While nothing can bring Brenda Ann Whidbee back to her family and friends, I hope this sentence offers them some sense of solace.”
