He Wrote a Book on Sobriety. Now He’s Convicted of Murder for Driving Drunk and Killing 4

A speeding drunk driver who plowed into a crowd of people celebrating the Fourth of July at a New York City park — killing four — has been convicted of murder.

Daniel Hyden, 46, was found guilty on Monday, Nov. 3, of four counts of second-degree murder, one count of aggravated vehicular homicide, four counts of second-degree assault, and three counts of third-degree assault after a bench trial, according to a press release from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors said Hyden was intoxicated when he drove his Ford F-150 pickup truck through a stop sign at 39 mph at an intersection on Manhattan’s Lower East Side on July 4, 2024. He then sped through a construction zone at up to 54 mph before smashing through a chain link fence and into the crowd gathered at Corlears Hook Park.

“Hyden had fully pressed down his gas pedal and did not hit his brakes until one-half second before the final crash,” the release stated. “Four people were trapped underneath the pickup truck, with seven others struck and injured by the truck or debris.”

Lucille Pinkney, 59, Herman Pinkney, 38, and Ana Morel, 43, were pronounced dead at the scene, while Emily Ruiz, 30, died five days later, according to the press release and The New York Times.

Ruiz, a mother of a 6-year-old boy, was remembered for her “loving nature and sincere heart,” according to a GoFundMe campaign. Morel’s mother, Zoila Hernandez, told the New York Daily News, “My daughter was the best. I have three daughters, [and] she was like an angel.”

Diamond Pickney, a relative of Lucille and Herman, shared on a GoFundMe page that the victims were his mother and brother. In another online fundraiser, family members wrote that Herman was survived by his wife Jessica and son Jacob, who were also injured in the crash.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Hyden worked as a substance abuse counselor and program director for organizations helping people facing homelessness. He also authored a book on sobriety titled The Sober Addict.

Prosecutors pointed to Hyden’s professional background as evidence of his understanding of the dangers of drunk driving. In his book, he admitted that he “was a real danger to others and myself when I was on the road intoxicated,” a passage read aloud in court, according to The New York Times.

Police body camera footage cited by CBS News revealed that Hyden had been denied entry to a boat party earlier that night because he appeared too intoxicated.

“While this verdict won’t bring them back to life, I hope that this conviction can bring at least some measure of comfort for their friends and family,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. said in the release.

Hyden is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 3 and faces up to life in prison.