Franklin Reyes, accused of mowing down 4-year-old Ariel Russo while fleeing from cops on the Upper West Side.
The Manhattan DA is taking a hard line with the unlicensed teenage driver who struck and killed 4-year-old Ariel Russo on the upper West Side.
Assistant District Attorney Jaime Hickey-Mendoza recommended Tuesday that Franklin Reyes plead guilty to second-degree manslaughter and receive the maximum prison sentence of five to 15 years.
“I’m so grateful the district attorney is pushing the maximum,” Ariel’s mother, Sofia Russo, said outside the courthouse. “This is just the right thing to do.”
RELATED: FAMILY OF ARIEL RUSSO, 4-YEAR-OLD KILLED IN SUV POLICE CHASE, SUE CITY
Under the deal proposed by Hickey-Mendoza, Reyes would also cop to second-degree assault in the tragic June 4 incident that left little Ariel dead and her grandmother injured.
The deal would not require Reyes to plead guilty to his other charges: unlawful fleeing a police officer, leaving the scene of an incident and unlicensed driving.
The teen, who wore a gray suit to court and hung his head throughout his court date, should receive nothing less than the max sentence of seven years on his assault count, Hickey-Mendoza said.
Bryan Pace/for New York Daily News
4-year-old Ariel Marina Russo, who was struck and killed by a fleeing SUV on June 4, 2013.
The manslaughter and assault sentences would run concurrently, meaning Reyes, who is free on $ 25,000 cash bail, could spend up a total of 15 years behind bars.
Reyes, 17, was fleeing from police when his SUV jumped the curb at W. 97th St. and Amsterdam Ave. and plowed into Ariel as she walked to school.
He said nothing in court but his presence provoked Ariel’s father to cry out.
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“She was only four!” Alan Russo screamed between sobs. “Four! Four!”
Reyes and his lawyer left without comment after requesting a pre-plea investigation report to determine what sentence the teen might receive if he pleads out.
His next court date is Nov. 6.
“This is so hard,” Sofia Russo said. “This is every mother’s worst nightmare.”
The anguished parents will attend a meeting of Manhattan Community Board 7 tonight to ask that W. 97th St. between Amsterdam Ave. and Broadway be renamed “Ariel Russo Way” to honor their little girl.
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