In a tragic incident in Fort Greene last December, Brooklyn resident Marlon Sewell jumped the curb on South Portland Avenue with his Chevrolet Suburban, killing art curator Victoria Nicodemus and injuring two others. Now, the father of six has been indicted for a dozen charges including second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.
According to the New York Post, Sewell initially walked away with a slap on the wrist; he was released without bail and charged with a misdemeanor of operating a motor vehicle without a license. Nicodemus’s family, however, was dissatisfied with district attorney Ken Thompson’s ruling, which found Sewell facing a maximum of 30 days in jail.
Related: Art Curator Killed in Brooklyn Car Crash as SUV Jumps Curb
Hank Miller, Nicodemus’s brother, organized a petition asking the district attorney to launch a full investigation, stating: “Our family has not been at all satisfied with the Brooklyn District Attorney‘s lack of commitment to finding justice for Victoria. The office has yet to perform the procedures necessary to conduct a complete investigation in order to determine the appropriate charges.”
Victoria Nicodemus. Courtesy of Instagram.
On Thursday morning, Sewell was called into Supreme Court in Brooklyn and appeared before Justice Elizabeth Foley. Results of an investigation conducted by the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad revealed that the driver was aware of a malfunction in his vehicle that allegedly contributed to the accident.
“After an extensive investigation, Marlon Sewell has been indicted by a grand jury on manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and related charges for causing the death of Victoria Nicodemus and physical injury to others,” district attorney Ken Thompson said in an official statement. He continued: “At trial, we will prove that the three victims were just walking on Fulton Street when the defendant, through his reckless actions, drove his car onto the sidewalk striking them all and killing Ms. Nicodemus.”
According to the DA’s statement, Sewell faces a maximum of 15 years in prison if convicted of the top count alone. In the New York Post‘s report, Sewell’s attorney, Niamh O’Flaherty, reportedly argued that Sewell was “devastated,” adding that the “hard-working, church-going family man” immediately contacted the police after the incident.