An Angola man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter after being involved in an accident that took the life of a child.

According to the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Markus R. Genovese, 53, of Angola, pleaded guilty before Erie County Court Judge James Bargnesi to second-degree manslaughter, second-degree vehicular manslaughter and one count of leaving the scene of an incident resulting in death.

The defendant pleaded guilty to the highest sustainable charges.

On June 8, 2024, at approximately 8:10 p.m., the defendant was driving a pickup truck northbound on Lake Shore Road (Route 5) in the town of Hamburg when he caused a collision with another vehicle. The defendant was driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs without a valid license when he crashed his vehicle into the rear-end of the victim’s SUV, which was stopped at the intersection to make a left-hand turn onto Eckhardt Road.

After the crash, the defendant abandoned his vehicle and ran from the scene. He was located in the nearby woods a short time later by responding officers and transported by ambulance to Erie County Medical Center.

Two children were inside of the adult victim’s vehicle. One child passenger, an 8-year-old boy who was sitting in the rear seat on the driver’s side, was fatally injured. The second child passenger, a 4-year-old boy who was also sitting in the rear seat on the passenger’s side, was taken by ambulance to Oishei Children’s Hospital where he was treated for injuries and released.

Genovese faces a maximum of 15 years in prison when he is sentenced on May 12 at 9:30 a.m. He remains held without bail.

Keane commended members of the Town of Hamburg Police Department and their Accident Investigation Unit for their work in this investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Christopher M. McCarthy and Natasha G. Greenan of the Vehicular Crimes Bureau.