BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Erie County District Attorney's Office announced that a 16-year-old boy from Buffalo pleaded guilty Thursday before Erie County Court Judge Susan Eagan, a designated Youth Part Judge, to four counts of second-degree manslaughter, one count of first-degree assault, and one count of third-degree criminal possession of stolen property.
The district attorney's office said the 16-year-old was behind the wheel of a stolen Kia Sportage that crashed on Route 33 near Route 198 on October 24. The driver and five passengers were in the vehicle, the district attorney's office said the five passengers were ejected from the vehicle on impact. Three passengers were pronounced dead at the scene and the fourth passenger was pronounced dead at ECMC.
On October 25, police identified the four people that were killed:
- Marcus Webster, a 19-year-old man from Buffalo
- Swazine Swindle, a 17-year-old boy from Buffalo
- Kevin Payne, a 16-year-old boy from Buffalo
- Ahjanae Harper, a 14-year-old girl from Buffalo
The fifth passenger, a 14-year-old girl, was hospitalized but has since been released. The district attorney's office said she continues to recover from serious physical injuries.
The 16-year-old boy was treated for minor injuries and released from the hospital.
Police said the theft of the vehicle was possibly linked to a "Kia Challenge" on the social media platform TikTok. Kia America released a statement on the crash on October 27.
The 16-year-old boy is scheduled to be sentenced on August 17. The district attorney's office said if he is granted youthful offender status he faces a maximum sentence of 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison. If youthful offender status is denied, he could be sentenced to up to 25 years in prison. He was remanded to the custody of the Erie County Youth Services Center.
