Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announces that Niyonna E. Cunningham, 23, of Buffalo, was sentenced this morning before State Supreme Court Justice Paul B. Wojtaszek. She received a split sentence of 90 days in jail followed by 5 years of probation. Her New York State driver’s license was revoked.
On Thursday, November 28, 2024, at approximately 10:00 p.m., Buffalo Police officers responded to a crash involving a vehicle and a pedestrian near the intersection of Boehm Place and Bailey Avenue. The defendant was driving a Ford SUV while under the influence of alcohol with an infant inside her vehicle when she hit a pedestrian. The victim, 62-year-old Madonna Bishop, was taken by ambulance to ECMC where she was pronounced dead.
Cunningham pleaded guilty to one count of Vehicular Manslaughter in the Second Degree (Class “D” felony). The defendant pleaded guilty to the highest count in full satisfaction of the indictment in May 2025.
DA Keane commends the Buffalo Police Department Accident Investigation Unit for their work in this investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Christine O. Murray, Assistant District Attorney Natasha G. Greenan and Chief Patrick B. Shanahan of the Vehicular Crimes Bureau.