Kerry Kennedy Acquitted of Impaired Driving Charge (Video)
By Tom Auchterlonie
A jury found Kerry Kennedy not guilty Friday morning of an impaired driving charge.
Shortly after the verdict was announced, Kennedy was one of multiple people in the courtroom who engaged in applause.
The six-member jury’s verdict came less than a hour after the trial entered its fifth.
Kennedy, a daughter of the late Sen. Robert Kennedy and president of a human rights organization that bears his name, was accused of impaired driving after sideswiping a tractor-trailer on I-684 on July 13, 2012. She testified about having no memory of her drive along the interstate and not knowing about the accident.
Kennedy, who was planning to go to a gym and then to work in New York City on the day of the accident, only remembered leaving her property, located in Bedford, and going to I-684. She exited the interstate at Exit 3 and stopped in the area of Route 22 and Hunter Avenue in Armonk. She did not know about the accident, according to testimony.
Kennedy later tested positive for Zolpidem–also referred to as Ambien–which she had a prescription for. She had meant to take her thyroid medication, it was noted at the trial, which was held at the Westchester County courthouse in White Plains. The prosecution contended that Kennedy had the ability to recognize her action and accused her of trying to avoid responsibility.
At a press conference following the verdict, Kennedy said she was “very, very, very grateful” about justice being served, along with giving thanks to family and legal counsel. Several members of her family had been present for the trial, including her sister, Rory, and her mother, Ethel.
At the press conference, Gerald Lefcourt, one of Kennedy’s lawyers, dismissed the notion of a settlement scenario when asked.
“We had to go to trial,” he said.
Defense attorney William Aronwald explained that special treatment, referencing who Kennedy is, was not sought. However, he suggested that the prosecution treated the case differently.
Lucien Chalfen, a spokesman for Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore, issued a statement, which was also published by several media outlets.
“We prosecute 2,500 impaired driving cases annually in Westchester County. This case was treated no differently from any of the others,” Chalfen’s statement read. “The jury heard all the evidence in this case and we respect their verdict.”
Aside from Kennedy, people who testified included others involved with the alleged timeline, Rory Kennedy, a director who has worked for Westchester County and a clinical pharmacologist whose background included working for the first company that developed Zolpidem.
The trial attracted widespread media interest, with journalists from local, regional and national outlets attending the trial.
For video coverage of Kerry Kennedy’s post trial comments Click here.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
