Published January 13, 2015
The parents of a former St. Bonaventure University student pleaded not guilty Tuesday to trying to cover up their son's role in the hit-and-run death of a University of Connecticut freshman in January.
Anthony and Donna Alvino of the Suffolk County village of Lindenhurst each were arraigned in Olean City Court on a felony charge of tampering with evidence and misdemeanor charges of tampering with witnesses, hindering prosecution and conspiracy to tamper with evidence.
The Alvinos were released on their own recognizance pending a Jan. 4 hearing in the Town of Allegany court.
Their arrests brought to five the number of people charged in the Jan. 20 hit-and-run that killed Carlee Wines, 19, of Manalpan, N.J. on the UConn campus in Storrs.
"Our family is not seeking revenge. It's not seeking vengeance," said Wines' father, Stephen, who attended Tuesday's court appearance. "But we are seeking accountability for all actions toward this terrible crime."
The Alvinos' 19-year-old son, Anthony Alvino, pleaded no contest in Rockville, Conn., last month to misconduct with a motor vehicle and evading responsibility in Wines' death. Wines died two days after being struck by the sport utility vehicle Alvino was driving during a night of underage drinking with friends, according to court documents.
A day after Wines died, Alvino's parents drove to St. Bonaventure University, where their son was a student, and advised two of his friends who were in the SUV not to tell anyone about the incident, according to an arrest warrant affidavit for the younger Alvino.
"Mr. Alvino told (the friends) that he loves his son very much and wanted to do what was best to protect him," the police affidavit filed in Superior Court in Connecticut said.
Donna Alvino said "she would do everything in her power to protect her son and that money was no object," the affidavit said. "Mrs. Alvino told them that she had a mechanic friend from home who will fix the car and have it detailed so that no one would be able to tell that it was involved in the incident."
The next morning the Alvinos drove the damaged vehicle from their Olean hotel to their Long Island home, authorities said.
A message left for the Alvinos' attorney, Raymond Perini, was not immediately returned Tuesday.
Alvino had been visiting his girlfriend, Michelle Hall, in Connecticut at the time of the accident. Charges are pending against Hall, who was in the car with Alvino. The couple were arrested in February after police tracked down Alvino through the Internet Web service Facebook. UConn student Kara Satalin, 18, of Syracuse, was charged days later with buying alcohol for Alvino and Hall.
As part of his plea agreement, Alvino is expected to receive four years in prison when he is sentenced Jan. 23.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/n-y-parents-charged-with-covering-up-sons-hit-and-run