Homicide charges are being pursued by the District Attorney’s Office in Suffolk County against a woman from Centerport, implicated in a drug-induced, incorrect-direction car collision which resulted in the death of her nine-year-old son. The tragic incident occurred on the Southern State Parkway and revealed that the woman had no less than 56 prior suspensions on her driving license. Identified as Kerri A. Bedrick, aged 32, the lady in question was presented before the First District Court in Central Islip. She donned blue prison clothes and was wheelchair-bound during the court appearance where she was faced with several charges.
Among the accusations were methamphetamine possession, aggravated unlicensed driving, driving under drug influence, a class E felony of aggravated DWI with a child under 16 and child welfare endangerment. A not-guilty plea was entered on her behalf by her attorney. An investigation conducted by the District Attorney in Suffolk County unveiled the presence of an illicit stimulant of great potency and other narcotics in her system. The scene of the crash had her vehicle scattered with various pharmaceuticals.
Bedrick, when questioned by the prosecutors, admitted to consuming the drugs at 8 p.m., the night prior to the fatal car crash. The unfortunate incident claimed the life of Eli D. Henrys, Bedrick’s son, who succumbed to the impact of the crash early Thursday morning. The child was with his mother in the back seat of a 2022 Mitsubishi SUV. The vehicle was being driven in the wrong direction when it violently collided with a Mercedes going in the right direction near Carleton Avenue in Islip shortly past 2 a.m.
The severe crash also involved Bedrick’s vehicle brushing a black Honda which consequently crashed into a Chevrolet Silverado pickup. It was reported that a deputy sheriff from Suffolk County assigned to DWI enforcement first identified Bedrick’s vehicle going west in the eastbound lanes. The officer attempted to offer chase employing sirens and lights, intending to guide her vehicle to the side of the road. Bedrick allegedly increased her speed, avoiding any cooperation with the authorities.
The deputy reportedly abandoned the pursuit due to oncoming traffic, however, continued to tail Bedrick in the westbound lanes for approximately five miles until the fatal accident happened in North Bay Shore. Post the crash, the deputy, along with state police, discovered Bedrick outside her vehicle, while her son Eli still was strapped into the back seat. Immediate CPR was initiated on the boy as soon as he was pulled from the wreck.
Eli was subsequently rushed to South Shore University Hospital located in Bay Shore by emergency medical responders, but his life could not be saved. Bedrick, on the contrary, walked away with minor injuries from the tragic accident. When inquired about her intended destination, the woman responded with ‘I honestly don’t know’, as outlined in the related criminal complaint. The onsite officer added that she displayed signs of drug influence with watery eyes, slurred speech, and impacted motor skills.
Bedrick claimed the narcotics found at the scene were her prescription medication, being Ziram and methamphetamine, per court records. She failed to recall the last instance of her taking them. Her vehicle also revealed a Ziploc bag with pills that were later identified as methamphetamine by the police. The severity and impact of the collision were such that it ripped apart the engine from the Mitsubishi, which was found lying in a neighboring wooded area.
During her arraignment, Bedrick remained unmoved, sitting forward in her wheelchair, with hands handcuffed behind her chair, without uttering any words. Outside the courthouse, her mother, Diane Bedrick briefly spoke to reporters. She empathized with the tragedy, referencing Eli, ‘She loved him so much’ indicating that she provided good motherly care. However, she didn’t offer any comments when questioned about trying to prevent her daughter from driving.
It was disclosed by the Suffolk County prosecutors that Bedrick had a history of driving violations, including a DWI conviction dating back to 2012 in which she reportedly tried to run from law enforcement. Court records reveal eight unsolved cases from 2023 and this year related to aggravated unlicensed driving. On an instance in September 2023, on East Bartlett Road, Bedrick was caught driving the Mitsubishi without a license.
Court records depict a pattern of habitual offenses, with Bedrick being cited by officers from different jurisdictions for the same violation, on the 8th, 13th, and 15th of November of that year. By January 24, she had encountered law enforcement for operating without a license and car insurance in the unregistered SUV that would later be part of the fatal accident. In the next week, she became embroiled with the law again for the same reasons on Elwood Road, according to court records.
Bedrick maintained a brief lull in February, with no citations, but encountered law enforcement twice in March, firstly on Walt Whitman Road and later Centerport Road. Each traffic stop resulted in tickets for driving without a license, lacking insurance, and operating an unregistered vehicle. It was admitted by Scott Zerner, her attorney, that his client did have a running history with her driving license. He added, ‘I believe she is in denial, as she is before you, has not been able to process’ the aftermath of her son’s death.
Pertaining to all the charges against Bedrick, they were misdemeanors or lower-level offenses, each carrying a maximum possible sentence of 15 days in jail, or a fine of $300 indicated by the statute. Zerner emphasized that his client has been dealing with various health issues, such as spina bifida and narcolepsy. Moreover, he added about the unfolding tragedy that ‘My client has just suffered the worst news that a parent can suffer. He suggested she was the victim in an ongoing domestic violence case within Suffolk County.
For Bedrick to continue her medical consultations in Manhattan and attend her son’s funeral, Zerner requested setting a low bail. He argued, ‘The funeral that my client will want to attend and should attend.’ However, Acting District Court Judge Eric Sachs set the bail at $1 million. He confessed, ‘In my 39 years, this is probably the most tragic case I’ve been involved in.’
Bedrick is scheduled to appear in court again on August 27. The case continues to serve as a grim reminder of the fatal consequences negligent and impaired driving can lead to, underscoring the importance of consistent law enforcement.