Niagara Falls man sentenced for driving drunk, killing Gasport woman
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Niagara Falls man who crashed his car and killed a Gasport woman in the summer of 2022 was sentenced Tuesday morning, according to the Niagara County District Attorney's Office.
Eric Gardner, 48, received 7 1/2 to 15 years in prison for first-degree vehicular manslaughter.
On Aug. 26, 2022, Gardner was driving with a blood alcohol content of over .18 of 1 percent on Ridge Road when he left the roadway and struck a tree. Stacy Donnelly, 46, was riding in the front passenger seat and died.
'Today brings the legal ordeal of almost three years to an end for Stacy's Family,' said Niagara County District Attorney Brian Seaman. 'The defendant will pay a price for his actions, although no sentence will ever repay Stacy's family for what they have lost.'
Upon Gardner's guilty plea, Seaman said the Niagara Falls man also had cocaine in his system.
Gardner previously faced a maximum of 25 years in prison, as well as additional DWI-related charges.
Kayleigh Hunter-Gasperini joined the News 4 team in 2024 as a Digital Video Producer. She is a graduate of Chatham University.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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