A driver found guilty of manslaughter in the high-speed hit-and-run death of a New Britain mom last winter in Newington was sentenced to five years in prison Monday.
Sonya Atkins, 51, of New Britain, had finished up three hours overtime working at the DMV on Feb. 27. She was going home the same way she had for 30 years when she was hit by a car at Willard and Robbins avenues in Newington. She died that night.
Two weeks later, Dennis Martinez, 36, of East Hartford, turned himself into Newington police, admitting to being the driver.
Martinez was sentenced to five years in prison Monday. Atkins' family had been hoping for a longer prison sentence for Martinez. Her brother, Tarik Amin, gave a sarcastic response to the sentencing in the case.
"According to the system, justice was served today. This is the American way. Gotta love it!," he said.
Through an interpreter, Martinez apologized for his crime. But while Atkins' family is beyond being angry, they don't buy it.
"I felt a little like he didn't have any remorse," Atkins' sister, Tanya Clayton, said, "and I still look at him like a coward and not a nice person."
According to the arrest warrant, Martinez had backed into another car in a parking lot on Brockett Street in Newington, outside Aucello EyeCare Center, prior to the deadly collision on Feb. 27. The driver whose car was struck told police he and his wife were going to eat next door at Puerto Vallarta at the time of the crash. He said Martinez glanced over his shoulder but didn't stop. He drove out of the parking lot and turned south onto the Berlin Turnpike, according to the arrest warrant.
Then, at around 10 p.m. Feb. 27, Martinez's truck "slammed" into a Mazda driven by Atkins near the intersection of Willard and Robbins avenues. Witnesses told police Martinez sped through a red light without ever hitting his brakes, the warrant says.
Martinez abandoned his car and ran from the scene. Police said footprints in the snow led to the back of 1099 Willard Ave. Dogs tracked him to the area of the Indian Hill Country Club, where the scent ended and Martinez was likely picked up.
Authorities examining Martinez's truck found the speedometer stuck at 83 miles per hour, according to the arrest warrant.
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New Britain police said Martinez is also among 45 people arrested in connection with a cockfighting bust. According to the warrant for his arrest, police found a bond form in his truck marked with the name of another person arrested during the East Windsor raid.
They used the booking information from Martinez's arrest to track him down.
