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STUDENT KILLED AT UCONN REMEMBERED WITH LOVE
Hartford
Courant - Hartford, Conn. Author: MAX BAKKE, Courant Staff Writer Date: Jan 23,
2007 Section: CONNECTICUT Text Word Count: 502
Abstract
(Document Summary) Top of
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Article
"She was the best girl, she told you she loved you every single day," said [Corey Schwitz], who talked to Wines daily and had done so hours before the hit-and-run. "And you knew she always meant it."
Last year at Valentine's Day, Wines decorated his bedroom with chocolates, candies and pictures of the two of them together, said Schwitz, who attends Bucknell University in Pennsylvania
According to Wines' personal online profile, she loved dancing, running and playing Super Nintendo. She also liked Spiderman, "Everything '80s" and eating chocolate-covered Oreos. Her favorite books included "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "The Giver."
Hartford Courant - Hartford, Conn. Author: Courant Staff
Report Date: Jan 31, 2007 Section: CONNECTICUT Text Word Count: 138 
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Carlee Wines, 19, of Manalapan, N.J., was struck at 1:49 a.m. on Jan. 20 as she walked across North Eagleville Road near the chemistry building on campus, police said. She was critically injured by the impact and died two days later at Hartford Hospital.
POLICE QUESTION THREE IN FATALITY INVESTIGATION OF UCONN
HIT-AND-RUN LEADS TO MEN FROM N.Y. SCHOOL Hartford
Courant - Hartford, Conn. Author: GRACE E. MERRITT, Courant Staff Writer Date:
Feb 2, 2007 Section: CONNECTICUT Text Word Count: 367 Abstract
(Document Summary)
Three students at St. Bonaventure University have been questioned by University of Connecticut police this week about the hit-and-run accident Jan. 20 that killed UConn freshman Carlee Wines, St. Bonaventure President Sister Margaret Carney said Thursday.
Wines, 19, of Manalapan, N.J., died at Hartford Hospital two days after being struck at 1:49 a.m. Jan. 20 as she crossed North Eagleville Road near the chemistry building. UConn police announced Tuesday that they had seized a vehicle that may have been involved in the accident, a gray 2004 Nissan Armada with front-end damage. UConn police were combing it for evidence.
FIRM WILL STUDY TRAFFIC SAFETY IN UCONN AREA
Hartford
Courant - Hartford, Conn. Author: RACHANA RATHI, Courant Staff Writer Date: Feb
13, 2007 Section: CONNECTICUT Text Word Count: 507 Abstract
(Document Summary)
The University of Connecticut has hired a consulting firm to address pedestrian traffic safety issues along North Eagleville Road, where freshman Carlee Wines was struck by a vehicle in a hit- and-run accident Jan. 20.
On Jan. 24, UConn student Jaclyn Shapiro, 19, suffered minor injuries from being struck in the left leg by a car while crossing Glenbrook Road. Christine Delvecchio, 21, was driving eastbound about 9 a.m. and failed to stop in time, said Maj. Ron Blicher, a UConn police spokesman.
UConn police are focused and working rapidly on the investigation into Wines' accident, Blicher said. Wines, 19, of Manalapan, N.J., died at Hartford Hospital two days after being struck at 1:49 a.m. as she crossed North Eagleville Road near the chemistry building.
THIRD TEEN CHARGED IN FATAL HIT-AND-RUN
Hartford
Courant - Hartford, Conn. Author: MAX BAKKE, Courant Staff Writer Date: Feb 20,
2007 Section: CONNECTICUT Text Word Count: 294 Abstract
(Document Summary)
According to the affidavit, [Kara Satalin], a student at UConn who lives in the Towers dormitory complex on campus, purchased three or four bottles of Dubra vodka at a package store on the night of Jan. 19 for [Michelle Hall], [Anthony P. Alvino] and others. Satalin bought the vodka using a driver's license she got from Hall, who said the woman pictured looked like Satalin, the affidavit says.
N.Y. INVESTIGATES HIT-RUN PARENTS AUTHORITIES WILL CONSIDER WHETHER FAMILY TRIED TO COVER FOR SON
Hartford
Courant - Hartford, Conn. Author: DAVID OWENS And GRACE E. MERRITT, Courant
Staff Writers Date: Feb 22, 2007 Section: CONNECTICUT Text Word Count: 874 Abstract
(Document Summary)
[Anthony N. Muccioli] told UConn police, according to the warrant, that [Donna Alvino] said not to worry about the incident "because things like that happen all the time at a big campus like UConn." She also said authorities would not look into the incident "because the university didn't want the bad publicity." After that, the Alvinos took the teens out to dinner at an Applebee's restaurant in Olean.
The Alvinos' lawyer, Raymond Perini of Hauppauge, N.Y., said he has had no contact from either Connecticut or New York law enforcement officials, including [Edward M. Sharkey]. He did say "the Alvinos send their deepest sympathies to the Wines family."
Perini also said the Alvinos turned the Nissan Armada over to UConn police before they knew their son was a suspect. UConn police, in the warrant, said they were contacted by Perini on Jan. 26, nine hours after sending a notice to a national law enforcement database that they were looking for a 2004 to 2006 Nissan Armada or Nissan Titan in connection with the fatal hit-and-run. Perini's comments contradict information in the arrest warrant that indicated that Alvino called his parents about 12 hours after the hit-and-run.
TWO CHARGED WITH PROVIDING BEER BEFORE HIT-RUN POLICE: STUDENTS HOSTED OFF-CAMPUS KEG PARTY
Hartford
Courant - Hartford, Conn. Author: GRACE E. MERRITT, Courant Staff Writer Date:
Mar 1, 2007 Section: CONNECTICUT Text Word Count: 549 Abstract
(Document Summary)
Alvino faces multiple charges, including misconduct with a motor vehicle resulting in death, evading responsibility and tampering with physical evidence. Hall was charged with aiding and abetting evading responsibility, conspiracy to commit evading responsibility, third-degree hindering prosecution and other counts.
All four occupants of the SUV were 18, including the two backseat passengers who were friends of Alvino's from St. Bonaventure University in upstate New York. Alvino, who subsequently withdrew from St. Bonaventure, and his friends were at UConn that weekend to visit Hall, Alvino's girlfriend, police said.
According to arrest affidavits for Alvino and Hall, Alvino failed to stop that night at the scene of the accident because he had been drinking. The affidavits also suggest that Alvino's parents may have tried to help cover up the crime. The reports allege that Anthony C. Alvino and his wife, [Donna Alvino], took their son and his two friends to a hotel near St. Bonaventure and urged them not to report the crime.
UCONN OFFICIAL TO HANDLE OFF-CAMPUS STUDENT ISSUES
Hartford Courant - Hartford, Conn. Author: GRACE E.
MERRITT, Courant Staff Writer Date: Mar 13, 2007 Section: CONNECTICUT Text Word
Count: 595 Abstract
(Document Summary)
The new position is the latest of the steps UConn has taken in recent years to improve town-gown relations, which have been strained by neighbors' complaints about loud outdoor off-campus parties, unkempt property and unruly behavior, and students' complaints about housing conditions and tenant rights.
Jim Hintz, who holds a similar job at Ohio University, will begin in the new post at UConn on May 25. Hintz, who grew up in north central Ohio, earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at Ohio University. On graduating three years ago, he became the first person to run his university's new off-campus and community relations office.
Hintz will be paid $58,500 at UConn. He will inform students about off-campus housing and help them in such matters as landlord relations, parking and tenant rights.
SIGNS OF SAFETY FOR UCONN WALKERS NEW FLUORESCENT WARNINGS PROTECT PEDESTRIANS ON BUSY CROSSWALKS
Hartford
Courant - Hartford, Conn. Author: GRACE E. MERRITT, Courant Staff Writer Date:
Mar 16, 2007 Section: CONNECTICUT Text Word Count: 554 Abstract
(Document Summary)
Freshman Carlee Wines died two days after she entered a crosswalk by the Chemistry Building on Jan. 20, the second student to be killed at night on a crosswalk on North Eagleville Road in six years. Nhat H. Pham, a 22-year-old graduate student, died after being struck by a drunken student as she crossed the road near LeDoyt Road in 2001.
Besides the new signs, the university has put shorter, free- standing signs in the middle of the road at each crosswalk, warning motorists to stop for pedestrians. In the works are plans to improve lighting, launch an education campaign for both drivers and pedestrians and extend the sidewalk to connect to Hunting Lodge Road.
A STUDENT makes his way across one of 13 crosswalks on a half-mile stretch of North Eagleville Road Thursday. The state has installed the safety signs after the death of a freshman hit by a car on the road. MAP: Locations where two students died in the past six years.
Lawyer Makes Call To UConn Police, Hands Over Vehicle, Suspect
By: Nicholas Carra
Posted: 2/16/07
After a 35-day investigation, UConn police arrested two
suspects Thursday morning involved in the tragic hit-and-run that claimed the
life of 19-year-old Carlee Wines, according to Major Ronald Blicher.
Anthony Alvino, 18, of Lindenhurst, N.Y., a former St. Bonaventure University
(N.Y.) student, and driver of the 2004 Nissan Armada that struck Wines, was
released on $250,000 bail. His girlfriend, Michele Hall, 18, of Wantagh, N.Y., a
former UConn student, was released on a $100,000 bail, according to a news
release. Both students have withdrawn from their respective schools since the
incident. Additional arrests are anticipated, according to police.
Alvino and Hall's court date is scheduled for Feb. 22, both facing numerous
charges. Alvino is charged with misconduct with a motor vehicle, evading
responsibility, tampering with physical evidence, possession of alcohol by a
minor, traveling unreasonably fast, failure to grant right of way to a
pedestrian and failure to drive in the proper lane, according to Alvino's arrest
warrant.
Hall's charges include aiding and abetting evading responsibility, conspiracy to
commit evading responsibility, hindering prosecution in the third degree, aiding
and abetting identity theft in the third degree, inducing minors to procure
liquor, aiding and abetting misrepresentation of age to procure liquor and
conspiracy to commit misrepresentation of age to procure liquor, according to
Hall's arrest warrant.
Alvino was at UConn visiting Hall on the night of Jan. 20, along with Jordan
Donahue, 19, and Anthony Muccioli, 18, both students at St. Bonaventure,
according to one of Hall's friends. Donahue and Muccioli were passengers in the
Armada involved in the incident and were brought in and questioned by police.
When questioned, Muccioli said that at around 8 p.m. on Jan. 20, Donahue tried
unsuccessfully to purchase alcohol. Alvino drove the group back to Towers so
Hall could attempt to use her fake ID. It was accompanying friend Kara Satalin,
however, who used Hall's fake ID to purchase four bottles of vodka, according to
Hall's arrest warrant.
Eight individuals driven by Alvino on the night of the incident told police that
after spending a period of time at Carriage House, Alvino returned to Towers
with Hall and Satalin, in addition to his St. Bonaventure friends. After
dropping Satalin off at Towers, Alvino, Hall, Muccioli and Donahue received a
call from students from Carriage House. Alvino picked up those students, drove
them to Phoenix House, and then left with Hall, Muccioli and Donahue.
Muccioli, sleeping at the time, said that as the car drove back to Towers, a
loud thud and sudden yelling waked him. Donahue added that Alvino became
panicked, saying he had just hit someone, and asked what he should do. Hall then
told Alvino to keep driving. Hall said she did not specifically remember making
such a statement, but claims it could be possible.
The four individuals returned to Towers and slept overnight in Hall's dorm
without speaking of the incident. The next morning, upon seeing signs looking
for their the vehicle involved in the accident, Hill insisted they leave as soon
as possible. At about 1 p.m. Jan. 21, Donahue drove Alvino and Muccioli back to
New York. During the ride, Alvino called his parents, who told him to not tell
anyone what had happened.
According to Alvino's arrest warrant, the first break in the case involved
forensic inspection of debris from the Nissan SUV. Detective Sgt. McGann sent
the plastic debris from the scene to the state of Connecticut Forensics
Laboratory, at which time the part number of one piece was traced to a company
in Mexico.
Sgt. Vargas spoke with the company and determined that the part found would only
fit a 2004 to 2006 Nissan Armada or Nissan Titan pickup truck.
On Jan. 22, the police sent out a notice to all Nissan dealers and Auto Glass
shops within a 50-mile radius. In addition, hundreds of posters and flyers were
handed out around campus and on roadways. By Jan. 26, over 100 Nissan Armadas in
New England had been found and inspected.
That same day, police inspected employee and student rosters and sent notice to
law enforcement databases across the country. Blicher also received a call from
a New York-based attorney representing the Alvino family, who provided
information as to the whereabouts of the vehicle involved in the incident.
Attorney Ray Perini met police in Levittown, N.Y., where the car was parked. The
vehicle at the location was damaged on the front right portion, the hood and the
windshield. Donna Alvino, registered owner of the vehicle and Alvino's mother,
signed the consent form, allowing UConn Police to seize the vehicle.
Later, it was determined that the pieces of debris fit the damaged vehicle and
matched the part number. Light green wool fibers, which matched an article of
clothing Wines wore the night of the incident, were also found on the right side
windshield support bar.
During the course of the seizure, UConn Police received the name of Donna's son.
Using Facebook, investigators linked Alvino to a UConn student, Hall, who was
listed as Alvino's girlfriend. After attempting to contact Hall, it was
determined that she had left UConn the day following the incident and had not
returned.
UConn Police Master Sgt. Shortell spoke with Hall's father, Gary Hall, at their
residence in Wantagh, N.Y. Gary declined to comment, wishing to speak with his
lawyer first. Hall's lawyer postponed commenting on behalf of his clients,
citing the Halls were in the process of hiring a Connecticut lawyer, according
to the arrest warrant.
McGann found that Hall and UConn student Kristen Schmitt were friends using
Facebook. Schmitt, who was with Hall the night, said that around 9 p.m., the
group and others were drinking Dubra vodka in Hall's room. Afterwards, Alvino
drove at least eight people to another party at Carriage House 14C. There, the
group was provided with free beer without being identified by the apartments
residents as 21 years old.
While surfing the Internet Jan. 22, Muccioli discovered Wines had died. He
called Donahue and together the two decided to approach Alvino with the
information, saying they should do something.
Alvino called his parents, who then came and picked up Muccioli and Donahue from
their St. Bonaventure residences. They proceeded to the nearby Microtel Hotel
where Anthony, Alvino's father "told them that he loves his son very much and
wanted to do what was best to protect him," according to Alvino's warrant.
Donna said "that she would do everything in her power to protect her son and
that money was no object," according to the warrant. Donna informed them that a
close mechanic friend would be able to fix and detail the car, and offered to
get a counselor for Muccioli and Donahue.
When asked by police why he did not come forward with the information, Donahue
said he felt pressured and intimidated by Alvino's parents. He did not know what
would happen if he talked, according to Alvino's warrant.
"She said not to worry about the incident because things like happen all the
time on a big campus like UConn," Muccioli said in his statement to police,
according to the warrant. "Mrs. Alvino said that they wouldn't look into it
because the university didn't want bad publicity."
The Wines family issued a statement Wednesday, which thanked "all for their
compassion, support, and prayers."
"Do not run and hide from your obligations," the statement read. "If one person
heeds this message, then maybe Carlee's death will not have been in vain ...
pray that this message, this lesson (at such great cost) does not fall on deaf
ears."
© Copyright 2007 The Daily Campus
UConn hit-and-run suspects appear in court
BY ANDREW STRICKLER
andrew.strickler@newsday.com
February 27, 2007, 1:37 PM EST
Two college students from Long Island charged in connection with the hit-and-run
death of University of Connecticut freshman Carlee Wines in January made their
first court appearances Tuesday since being arrested earlier this month.
Neither Anthony P. Alvino, 18, of Lindenhurst, nor his girlfriend, Michele Hall,
18, of Wantagh, spoke during their brief hearings in front of Superior Court
Judge Patricia Swords, who transferred both cases to another division of the
Rockville, Conn., court which handles more serious charges. They are scheduled
to appear again on March 30, when they are expected to enter pleas.
Alvino and Hall crossed paths in court Tuesday but did not make eye contact or
speak to one another.
Police say that Alvino, a former St. Bonaventure University freshman, was
driving Hall and two others back to Hall's dorm in the early morning hours of
Jan. 20 when he struck Wines and fled the scene without stopping. Wines died two
days later.
According to police interviews with two of Alvino's friends who were passengers
in Alvino's SUV, the group had been drinking and went to two parties on and
around the University of Connecticut campus on the night of the accident. Both
said Hall encouraged Alvino to flee the scene after they realized they had
struck someone in a campus crosswalk.
Alvino faces several charges, including misconduct with a motor vehicle
resulting in death, evading responsibility and tampering with physical evidence,
all felonies.
Hall is charged with three felonies related to her role in the incident, as well
as other charges for supplying an ID to UConn freshman Kara Satalin, who police
said used it to buy several bottles of vodka the night before the accident.
Satalin, 18, of Syracuse, is charged with buying alcohol for a minor, conspiracy
to procure liquor for a minor, misrepresentation of age to procure liquor, and
other charges. Her case was also postponed until March 30.
Arrest affidavits for Alvino and Hall suggest that Alvino's parents tried to
cover up the accident. Anthony C. Alvino and his wife, Donna, told their son and
his two frends not to "say a word to anyone" about the crash, according to the
affidavits.
The Hartford Courant contributed to this report.
Courant.com
Student Asks For Special Probation
Her Charge Tied To UConn Death
By DAVID OWENS
Courant Staff Writer
April 28, 2007
VERNON
Kara Satalin, a University of Connecticut student charged
in connection with the hit-and-run death of UConn freshman Carlee Wines, applied
Friday for a special form of probation that could allow her to avoid
prosecution.
Satalin, 19, of Syracuse, N.Y., is charged with purchasing the alcohol consumed
by Anthony P. Alvino, 18, of Lindenhurst, N.Y., who police say was driving the
Nissan Armada SUV that struck Wines in January.
Five people have been arrested in connection with the accident, in which Wines
was hit while in a crosswalk on North Eagleville Road about 2 a.m. on Jan. 20.
Wines, of Manalapan, N.J., died two days later from multiple blunt force trauma.
Alvino faces multiple charges, including misconduct with a motor vehicle
resulting in death, evading responsibility and tampering with physical evidence.
Michele A. Hall, 18, of Wantagh, N.Y., who police say sat in the front seat next
to Alvino and urged him to drive off after those in the car realized they had
hit someone, is charged with aiding and abetting evading responsibility,
conspiracy to commit evading responsibility, third-degree hindering prosecution
and other counts.
A hearing on Satalin's application for accelerated rehabilitation is scheduled
for May 25 in Superior Court in Rockville. Accelerated rehabilitation is
available to people accused of nonviolent crimes who do not have criminal
records and who a Superior Court judge finds are not likely to commit another
crime.
Wines' parents were in court Friday to see the cases against Alvino, Hall and
two others continued. Alvino is due back in court May 25, and Hall is due back
in court June 8.
The others charged in connection with the hit-and-run are UConn senior Kenneth
L. Rusterholz, 21, of 90 Coventry Lane in Trumbull, and sophomore Matthew D.
Gallo, 20, of Freehold, N.J., who also are each charged with providing alcohol
to Alvino, Hall and others at a party hosted at the Carriage House Apartments
the evening before Wines was killed.
Contact David Owens at dowens@courant.com.
Copyright © 2007, The Hartford Courant
Newsday.com
Ex-student gets probation in fatal hit-and-run at UConn
6:12 PM EDT, July 27, 2007
VERNON, Conn. (AP) _ A former University of Connecticut
student charged in connection with the hit-and-run death of another student was
granted a special form of probation Friday.
Kara Satalin, 19, of Syracuse, N.Y., had been charged with identification theft
and delivery of liquor to a minor in connection with the Jan. 20 incident on
campus.
Police said Satalin purchased alcohol for two friends whose sport-utility
vehicle later struck and fatally injured 19-year-old UConn freshman Carlee Wines
of Manalapan, N.J.
Satalin appeared Friday in Rockville Superior Court in Vernon, where she was
ordered to perform community service, contribute $25 monthly to a scholarship
fund in Wines' memory, and meet other criteria.
If she completes the requirements of the accelerated rehabilitation probation
program, the criminal charges against her will be dismissed.
The SUV's driver, 18-year-old Anthony P. Alvino of Lindenhurst, N.Y., and his
passenger, UConn freshman Michele A. Hall of Wantagh, N.Y., face several felony
and misdemeanor charges. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Information from The Hartford Courant, www.courant.com
Copyright © 2007, The Associated Press
Courant.com/news/local/hc-ctwines0825.artaug25,0,3143553.story
Courant.com Top of page
Driver Sued In Hit-And-Run Death
Alcohol Use Is Alleged To Be Factor In Fatality At UConn
By DAVID OWENS
Courant Staff Writer
The mother of a UConn freshman killed in a hit-and-run accident on campus in January has sued the driver as well as the owner of the car that allegedly struck Carlee Wines.
The suit, served on Anthony P. Alvino and his mother, Donna Alvino, was
filed this week in Superior Court in Rockville.
Pamela Wines, the administrator of the estate of Carlee A. Wines, contends
that Anthony Alvino was negligent and careless as the 18-year-old steered
his mother's gray 2004 Nissan Armada along North Eagleville Road on the
University of Connecticut's Storrs campus about 1:45 a.m. Jan. 20. The suit
alleges, among other things, that Alvino was impaired from drinking alcohol,
was speeding and was inattentive.
As a result, the lawsuit alleges, Alvino caused Wines "extreme physical pain
and emotional distress and anguish"; "permanently destroyed" Wines' ability
to earn wages; "permanently deprived [her] of the ability to enjoy all of
life's activities"; and caused Pamela Wines financial obligations for
medical and funeral expenses.
The lawsuit also contends that Donna Alvino is responsible for Wines' death
because she allowed her son to operate the SUV "when she knew, or should
have known, that [he] was unfit and/or incompetent to operate" the vehicle
and was likely to use the vehicle to conduct himself in a manner "as to
create an unreasonable risk of harm to others."
Michael Jainchill, a lawyer with the Hartford firm Riscassi & Davis who
brought the suit, said the goal is to hold those responsible for Wines'
death accountable.
"The goal of the Wines family, frankly, is not to be vindictive," Jainchill
said.
The SUV struck Wines, 19, of Manalapan, N.J., as she tried to cross North
Eagleville Road, police said. Wines was badly injured in the collision and
died two days later at Hartford Hospital.
Anthony Alvino and his girlfriend, then-UConn freshman Michele Hall, who was
the front-seat passenger in the SUV, were subsequently charged in connection
with the accident.
Alvino, of 42 River St., Lindenhurst, N.Y., was charged with misconduct with
a motor vehicle resulting in death, evading responsibility, tampering with
physical evidence, possession of alcohol by a minor, traveling unreasonably
fast, failure to grant the right of way to a pedestrian in a crosswalk and
failure to drive in the proper lane.
Hall, of 3647 Hunt Road, Wantagh, N.Y., was arrested on eight charges,
including aiding and abetting evading responsibility, conspiracy to commit
evading responsibility and third-degree hindering prosecution. Both posted
bail, and the criminal cases against them are pending.
The warrants for Alvino's and Hall's arrests indicated that Alvino's parents
sought to cover up the crime. An investigation into that allegation was
being conducted by the district attorney in Cattaraugus County, N.Y., where
Alvino drove after the accident.
At the time, he was a student at St. Bonaventure University. The district
attorney there, who has been in contact with Tolland State's Attorney
Matthew C. Gedansky, could not be reached for comment early Friday evening.
The Alvinos are represented by the Cheshire law firm of Nuzzo & Roberts. No
one from Nuzzo & Roberts could be reached for comment early Friday evening.
Contact David Owens at dowens@courant.com.
Copyright © 2007, The Hartford Courant
Coverup Pleas: Not Guilty
Parents Accused In Storrs Hit, Run
By DAVID OWENS
Courant Staff Writer
November 14, 2007
OLEAN, N.Y. Top of page
Anthony C. and Donna Alvino emerged from a state police station in handcuffs
Tuesday morning and were driven by state police investigators to the Olean City
Court.
The Alvinos are accused of trying to cover up the role their son, Anthony P.
Alvino, 19, played in the January hit-and-run death of UConn freshman Carlee
Wines.
"We're not seeking revenge, we're not seeking vengeance," said Stephen Wines,
Carlee's father. "It's all about accountability.
"We feel that their conduct is outrageous," Wines said. "It's up to the state of
New York to decide whether it was … criminal."
Wines said his family will accept the punishment set forth by the court.
The Alvinos, who live on Long Island, each face a felony charge of tampering
with physical evidence and three misdemeanors third-degree hindering
prosecution, fourth-degree tampering with a witness and fifth-degree conspiracy.
After a brief arraignment at Olean City Court, where the Alvinos entered not
guilty pleas, the two were released and left in a limousine.
Accompanied by their lawyer, Raymond Perini of Long Island, the Alvinos turned
themselves in to police shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday to face the charges.
Judge William H. Mountain III released Anthony Alvino, 45, and Donna Alvino, 46,
on their own recognizance. They stepped from the courthouse and into the
limousine for the short ride back to the Hampton Inn where they had stayed
Monday night and where their car was parked. Both are due back Jan. 14 for an
appearance in nearby Allegheny Town Court.
Stephen Wines, and Carlee's stepmother, Donna Wines, were in the courtroom,
along with Carlee's mother, Pam Wines, and her companion, Kevin O'Sullivan. All
had traveled from New Jersey to witness the Alvinos' arraignment.
Outside court, Perini said that despite the charges, the Alvinos did the right
thing once they'd consulted with an attorney and turned over to UConn police the
Nissan Armada SUV their son was driving during the early morning hours of Jan.
20.
"When they contacted me, they wanted me to contact the UConn police and we did,"
Perini said. "They did this because the Wines family put out a public plea for
closure." The Alvinos also turned the car over to authorities knowing full well
that their son would likely be sentenced to prison, Perini said.
Last month, Anthony P. Alvino pleaded no contest to two felonies misconduct with
a motor vehicle and evading responsibility. He will be sentenced on Jan. 23, a
year and a day after Wines died. The terms of the plea agreement are four years
in prison and five years of probation, although Alvino's lawyer will have the
opportunity to argue for a shorter prison sentence. Charges are pending against
Michele Ann Hall, a former UConn freshman who was Alvino's girlfriend at the
time of the incident. She was charged as an accessory.
During their investigation of the incident, UConn police say they turned up
evidence suggesting that Alvino's parents tried to conceal his conduct.
The Alvinos, UConn police said, tried to conceal their son's role in the
hit-and-run by taking the SUV back to Long Island and by encouraging two of
Alvino's friends in the car at the time of the incident not to talk to police.
New York authorities relied on the investigation by Connecticut authorities, who
determined that the alleged cover-up occurred in New York.
That alleged cover-up began, UConn police say, as Alvino and his two friends
drove from UConn back to their college, St. Bonaventure University in western
New York, on Jan. 20, hours after Wines was struck as she tried to cross North
Eagleville Road in Storrs.
Alvino called his parents on his cellphone, according to the arrest warrant
affidavit for the younger Alvino's arrest, and after a conversation he told his
friends, Anthony N. Muccioli and Jordan Donohue, that his parents said that none
of them should tell anyone about what happened, including their parents.
Muccioli told UConn police that he was debating whether to call police on Jan.
21 when the younger Alvino told him "that his parents would really like it if no
one told anyone about this," according to the warrant. "Alvino said that his
parents said that to tell anyone would be the worst thing to do."
On Jan. 22, Muccioli said he checked online and found that Wines had died of her
injuries. He said he told Alvino, who then called his parents, according to the
warrant.
On Jan. 23, the Alvinos arrived at St. Bonaventure, near Olean, and met with
their son and his two friends, the warrant says.
"Mrs. Alvino told Muccioli that she would do everything in her power to protect
her son and that money was no object," according to the warrant. "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 it was involved in the
incident."
Donna Alvino told Muccioli and Donahue, according to the warrant, that they
should not call their parents or talk to anyone about the incident. She also
told them not to worry about the incident "because things like that happen all
the time on a big campus like UConn." The crime would not be investigated,
Alvino told her son's friends, "because the university didn't want the bad
publicity," the warrant says.
The Alvinos then took their son and his friends to dinner at a nearby Applebee's
restaurant.
Donahue later told investigators that he was scared after meeting with the
Alvinos. "He took, from all that was said, that he was to basically keep his
mouth shut and not to say a word to anyone," the warrant sayss.
The Alvinos subsequently told Donahue and Muccioli that they needed to contact
lawyers and that they could have no further contact with them, the warrant says.
UConn police seized the SUV Jan. 27, a day after Perini contacted them and told
them where they could find it. Perini said Tuesday that the vehicle had not been
tampered with. Police recovered evidence from the car, including fibers that
matched the scarf Wines was wearing when she was struck, the warrant says.
Alvino and Hall were arrested Feb. 15.
See more photos and documents related to the Alvino case at www.courant.com/alvino
Contact David Owens at dowens@courant.com.
Copyright © 2007, The Hartford Courant
By The Day
Published on 11/18/2007 Top of page
The hit-run death on campus last January of Carlee Wines, a 19-year-old University of Connecticut freshman, was sad enough, a tragedy. What happened afterward heightened the tragedy by placing decency and accountability in second place to selfish motivation.
On Tuesday, Anthony C. and Donna Alvino of Long Island pleaded not guilty in Olean, N.Y., to charges of trying to cover up the role their son, Anthony P. Alvino, played as the alleged driver in the hit-and-run death. The fact that he has entered no-contest pleas to misconduct with a motor vehicle and evading responsibility virtually assures him a jail term of four years. A no-contest plea means the defendant does not admit guilt, but also does not contest the charges.
The younger Alvino, a St. Bonaventure student at the time, was the driver whose SUV struck Ms. Wines. Mr. Alvino was visiting his then-girlfriend, Michelle Hall, at UConn. Ms. Wines died several days after the accident. Ms. Hall was charged as an accessory to the crime. Charged with buying the alcohol for Mr. Alvino and Ms. Hall was Kara Satalin, an 18-year-old UConn student from Syracuse.
Police allege that the Alvino parents committed a felony by tampering with evidence and also committed misdemeanors of tampering with witnesses, hindering prosecution and conspiracy to tamper with evidence.
Mrs. Alvino allegedly exhorted her son's friends to keep quiet about the matter and indicated they should cover up the case. This is despicable conduct, for it not only was an attempt to hide the truth from the police, but also suggested to their son that avoiding responsibility was the right course of action. It never is.
The Alvinos' lawyer, Raymond Perini, said the parents contacted him in order to communicate with UConn police and subsequently turned over to police the vehicle involved in the accident.
“They did this because the Wines family put out a public plea for closure,” Perini said. The Alvinos' alleged attempt at a cover-up belatedly ended with cooperation with the UConn police. Perhaps the guilt and heartache of knowing what their son had done to a young woman who was just trying to cross the street led them to change their minds.
In any event, the Alvinos, by their alleged initial actions to use deception to thwart the law, compounded an already horrible event. If they're found guilty, they should be punished.
Courant.com
Family Ties Turn Ugly
November 18, 2007 Top of page
We don't do our children any favors by encouraging them to
shirk responsibility or by defending them against the indefensible.
That lesson is hitting the Alvino family hard.
Thanks to stellar detective work by the University of Connecticut police and the
cooperation of New York authorities, Anthony C. and Donna Alvino face criminal
charges for trying to help their son, Anthony P. Alvino, elude authorities after
a hit-and-run accident that killed a UConn co-ed last year. The younger Mr.
Alvino was driving the Nissan Armada that struck pedestrian Carlee Wines, 19, a
UConn freshman, and then drove off, police say, at the urging of his girlfriend.
The couple, along with two friends, had been party-hopping and drinking. Mr.
Alvino and his companions returned to their school, St. Bonaventure University,
as if nothing had happened.
Ms. Wines later died of her injuries.
As if that reckless behavior weren't infuriating enough, Mr. Alvino's
companions, who were in the back seat at the time of the UConn accident, later
told police a chilling tale. Mr. and Mrs. Alvino, they said, traveled to the
school in Olean, N.Y., to urge them not to tell anyone about the accident.
According to police, one of the witnesses said Mrs. Alvino told them that she
would do anything to protect her son, that money was no object and that she had
a mechanic friend who would fix the car so that no one would know it was
involved in the accident.
Not so fast. UConn police held the trump card — a piece of the headlight that
identified the make and model of the vehicle. They posted a notice on a national
law enforcement database that they were looking for such a car. Shortly
afterward, the Alvinos' lawyer turned their Nissan over to police.
Every parent can relate to the impulse to protect a child. But it was wrong for
Mr. Alvino's parents to try to flout the law, just as their son did, in the
interest of self-preservation. Even if they had succeeded in covering up his
crime, their son, who was 18 at the time, could not have escaped the guilt of
his actions.
Faced with the evidence against him, he pleaded no contest in the hit-and-run
death and will be sentenced in January to up to four years in prison and five
years' probation. His parents have pleaded not guilty.
There can be no happy ending. Mr. Alvino's poor judgment, exacerbated by that of
his parents, will cost him part of his youth and his future. Ms. Wines has no
future.
Her parents deserve justice. Holding the Alvinos accountable will make that
possible.
Copyright © 2007, The Hartford Courant
By M. Matthew Clark ,
Published on 12/9/2007 Top of page
The investigation into the hit-and-run death of Carlee Wines started with just a fragment of a headlight and a number on an auto part.
Wines, a freshman at UConn, was struck by a sport-utility vehicle that fled the scene while she was crossing North Eagleville Road on the Storrs campus during the early morning hours of Jan. 20, 2007. The 19-year-old from New Jersey was in a clearly marked crosswalk when she was hit. She died two days later from the blunt-force trauma.
The headlight fragment found at the scene sparked the investigation that led police to the vehicle's driver, 19-year-old Anthony P. Alvino, of Lindenhurst, N.Y.
Alvino, who was arrested in mid-February, pleaded no contest in October to charges of misconduct with a motor vehicle resulting in death, evading responsibility, tampering with physical evidence, possession of alcohol by a minor, traveling unreasonably fast, failure to grant right of way to a pedestrian in a crosswalk and failure to drive in the proper lane.
Alvino's sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 23 in Rockville Superior Court on— a year and a day from Wines' death.
The Wines case shows the necessary combination of evidence and luck that goes into a successful investigation.
In a recent phone interview University of Connecticut Police Major Ronald Blicher said many variations go into investigating a crash in which the driver flees the scene.
Blicher said the success of such an investigation relies on a combination of eyewitness reports, physical evidence, “the scope and intensity of the investigation, and the publicized information pertinent to the case.” Other times you get lucky, Blicher said.
Blicher said that in the Wines case investigators were able “to actually put all the pieces together in a fairly short amount of time compared to what is normally the case.”
A photo of Wines, provided by her parents, was released to the media shortly after the accident, and the parents made heartfelt pleas for the driver or anyone with information about their daughter's death to come forward.
“That type of thing can impassion the public to provide information that can benefit the case,” Blicher said. “Nearly everyone can relate to a situation like that.”
The department's 20-page arrest warrant affidavit for Alvino details the UConn police investigation into the events of the night Wines was hit.
Police traced the part of the headlight casing found at the scene to the manufacturing company in Mexico. According to the manufacturer, the part had to have come from either a Nissan Armada SUV or a Nissan Titan pickup truck made between 2004 and 2006, which jibed with eyewitness reports.
Police sent out alerts to Nissan dealerships and auto glass repair shops within a 50-mile radius of the campus. They also sent out campus e-mails and posted flyers seeking the public's help. Hundreds of people were interviewed, and police checked out more than 100 Nissans in towns throughout New England.
On Jan. 26 UConn police sent out a notice to law enforcement databases nationwide that they were looking for a Nissan truck or SUV. Eight hours later a New York attorney, Ray Perini, contacted police saying he was representing the Alvino family and the vehicle police were looking for belonged to his clients, Anthony and Donna Alvino, the parents of the driver.
Perini told police the Nissan Armada that struck Wines was in Levittown, N.Y.
The warrant affidavit revealed that Alvino and two friends — Anthony Muccioli and Jordan Donahue — were visiting Alvino's girlfriend, Michele Hall, a student at UConn at the time. All three were passengers in the car when Wines was hit and told police that Alvino was driving.
Alvino, Muccioli and Donahue were students at St. Bonaventure University in upstate New York. The day after the accident, the three men left Connecticut to return to New York.
Police interviews with Hall, Donahue and Muccioli detailed a night of heavy drinking and partying, with Alvino driving his friends and others around campus. When Wines was hit, Alvino and his friends were headed back to Hall's dorm room at around 1:50 a.m. after a party.
Alvino said he fled the scene because he had been drinking and feared getting in trouble.
The affidavit shows that Alvino's parents drove to St. Bonaventure and took Muccioli, Donahue and their son out to lunch on Sunday, Jan. 21, to discuss what had happened the night before. Muccioli said he was thinking about calling the police, and “Alvino said that his parents said that to tell anyone would be the worst thing to do,” according to the affidavit.
Donahue told a UConn police sergeant “that he was scared and that he took, from all that was said (by the Alvinos), to basically keep his mouth shut,” the affidavit says.
Alvino surrendered himself on Feb. 15 at UConn police headquarters in Storrs. Hall, who turned herself in at the same time, was also charged iwith aiding and abetting evading responsibility, conspiracy to commit evading responsibility, and third-degree hindering prosecution. Hall's case has not been heard in court yet, Blicher said.
For their role in trying to cover up the accident, Donna and the elder Anthony Alvino have been charged in the state of New York with tampering with evidence, a felony. The Alvinos were also charged with tampering with witnesses, conspiracy to tamper with evidence and hindering prosecution, which are all misdemeanors. The Alvinos are scheduled to appear again in Allegany court on Jan. 14.
Blicher said despite the complications that accompany a hit-and-run, the end goal is always success.
“In police work you really follow a case where it takes you,” Blicher said.
December 9, 2007
Hit-And-Run Driver Apologies To Wines Family
By: Andrew Porter
Posted: 1/24/08 Top of page
ROCKVILE - Anthony P. Alvino, the driver of the vehicle
that struck and killed UConn freshman Carlee Wines in a hit-and-run last January
was sentenced to 37 months in prison today in Rockville Superior Court.
Alvino, who was 18 at the time of the incident, pled no contest to charges of
misconduct with a motor vehicle and evading responsibility on Oct. 26, 2007,
received a five-year sentence that will be suspended after three years for the
misconduct charge and an eight-year sentence that will be suspended after 37
months for the evading responsibility charge. He will serve the sentences
concurrently, meaning he will be in prison for three years and one month.
He will be required to complete five years probation, for the first 18 months of
which his driver's license will be suspended. He will also be required to
perform 100 hours of community service each year during his probation, as well
as donate $500 each January to the Carlee Wines memorial fund. He will also be
prohibited from consuming alcohol during his probation.
"There are no winners. Everyone in this position is a loser," said Judge
Terrence Sullivan, prior to handing down his ruling. "Nothing can balance the
scales of justice, nothing can bring Carlee back."
"You attempted to hide your involvement in the death of Carlee Wines," Sullivan
said. "This is not something we can tolerate in society ... Carlee Wines' death
was unintended but absolutely avoidable."
In an emotional hearing in which friends and family of both Wines and Alvino
spoke, tears fell on both sides of the courtroom.
"I don't think the sentence is unreasonable," said Pamela Wines, Carlee's
mother, requesting that Alvino serve a four-year prison sentence proposed by the
state's attorney. "To leave her at the side of the road to die is just
incomprehensible to me. You hit an animal and you at least slow down … Please
make him [Alvino] be responsible for his actions."
"Anything less than a four-year term will be seen as a victory for Mr. Alvino,"
said Stephen Wines, Carlee's father.
Corey Schwitz, Wines' boyfriend, who referred to Pamela as his "mother-in-law,"
told the court that he, "can't find a way to enjoy a single day," without Wines
in his life.
Alvino, who spoke on his own behalf, offered his first-ever apology to the Wines
family, something he said was delayed on advice from his legal counsel.
"I'm truly sorry for causing the death of Carlee Wines," he said. "I'm haunted
by the decision I made … I hope one day you will eventually be able to forgive
me because I will never be able to forgive myself."
The defense portrayed Alvino as a meek boy, easily susceptible to the influence
of others.
While Alvino's attorney John Maxwell acknowledged that Alvino was wrong for
fleeing the scene, he focused on the actions of Alvino's parents, who according
to court documents advised the boy to return to New York the day after the
accident and not report it to the authorities.
"He [Alvino] is a young person, a decent person who's done a bad thing," said
Maxwell. "[His punishment] shouldn't get an enhancement because of what his
parents did - Anthony should not bear the full brunt."
Alvino's parents are currently facing criminal charges in New York state, which
stem from their involvement.
Contact Andrew Porter at
Andrew.Porter@UConn.edu.
© Copyright 2008 The Daily Campus
courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-hitrun.artjan25,0,3788856.story
Courant.com
A Sad Day In Court
January 25, 2008 Top of page
No one left the courtroom satisfied with the
sentencing of Anthony P. Alvino to 37 months in prison for the hit-and-run death
of University of Connecticut freshman Carlee Wines a year ago.
What price the loss of a vibrant young woman on the brink of life?
The victim's family wanted the maximum sentence negotiated in a plea bargain
last fall — four years in prison. The young man's family had hoped for no jail
time at all.
In the end, though, Judge Terence A. Sullivan did the right thing, balancing
compassion with the horrific nature of the crime.
Thirty-seven months behind bars is an eternity to a 19-year-old. An extra 11
months wouldn't begin to atone for the suffering and death of Ms. Wines, 19,
whose great promise was lost.
Mr. Alvino's obvious remorse shows he has already faced the sobering truth: He
turned a terrible accident into a crime by weaseling out of his
responsibilities. He was the driver. When he hit Ms. Wines, he should have
stopped the vehicle carrying him and three friends between alcohol-laced
parties. It was his responsibility to call for emergency help for the injured
woman.
Instead, as her mother reminded the crowded courtroom Wednesday, he left her at
the side of the road to die.
He panicked. That might have been forgivable for a brief time. But he retreated
from the UConn campus in Storrs and returned to his college in New York without
reporting the accident. Days passed. In the interim, Ms. Wines died. Still he
failed to come forward.
Reportedly, he was coached by his girlfriend to leave the accident scene. He was
allegedly coached by his parents to cover up the crime. All three face charges,
as they should. But Mr. Alvino owes his fate to himself and his bad judgment.
If it weren't for stellar police work by UConn officers in tracking down Mr.
Alvino's vehicle and testimony from his passengers, justice might not have been
served.
The Alvino sentence brings no solace to anyone touched by this tragedy. But it
reinforces an important values lesson: Character counts. That should be the
topic of the community service that Mr. Alvino will perform upon release.
Perhaps he can steer other young people in the right direction.
Copyright © 2008, The Hartford Courant
A Tragic Year: A Timeline of the Carlee Wines Case
By: Kate King
Posted: 1/24/08
Jan. 20, 2007Carlee Wines, a UConn freshman, is struck in a crosswalk on North Eagleville Road at 1:49 a.m. The car that hits her is driven by 19-year-old Anthony P. Alvino of Lindenhurst, N.Y. Also present in the car is Alvino's girlfriend, then-UConn student Michele Hall and Alvino's two friends, Anthony Muccioli and Jordan Donahue. Alvino flees the scene.
In the morning, Alvino leaves UConn with Muccioli and Donahue.* The three are students at St. Bonaventure University in upstate New York. They had been in Storrs visiting Hall. Hall leaves UConn and does not return.
Jan. 22, 2007
Wines dies at Hartford Hospital from blunt-force trauma.
Police, using Connecticut Forensics Laboratory, trace a headlight fragment found at the scene to the manufacturing company in Mexico. They learn that the part had come from either a Nissan Armada SUV or a Nissan Titan pickup truck made between 2004 and 2006. Police alert Nissan dealerships and auto glass repairs shops within a 50-mile radius of the campus.
Jan. 26, 2007
UConn police alert law enforcement databases nationwide that they are looking for a Nissan truck or SUV. Eight hours later, New York attorney Ray Perini contacts police saying that the vehicle belongs to his clients, Anthony and Donna Alvino. Police find a green fiber attached to the vehicle that matches the clothes Wines was wearing on the night she was hit. They find out the name of the Alvinos' son. Using Facebook, investigators link Alvino to a UConn student, Hall, who is listed as Alvino's girlfriend. Also using Facebook, police determine that UConn student Kristen Schmitt and Hall are friends. Schmitt was with Hall on Jan. 19 and says that around 9 p.m. the group and others were drinking Dubra vodka in Hall's room. Afterwards, Alvino drove to another party in Carriage House 14C. There, the group was provided with free beer without being identified by the apartment's residents as 21-years old.
Feb. 13, 2007
An arrest warrant affidavit is issued for Anthony P. Alvino. He is charged with misconduct with a motor vehicle, evading responsibility, tampering with physical evidence, possession of alcohol by a minor, traveling unreasonably fast, failure to grant right of way to a pedestrian and failure to drive in the proper lane.
Feb. 15, 2007
Alvino surrenders himself at UConn police headquarters in Storrs. Hall turns herself in at the same time. She is charged with aiding and abetting evading responsibility, conspiracy to commit evading responsibility, hindering prosecution in the third degree, aiding and abetting identity theft in the third degree, inducing minors to procure liquor, aiding and abetting misrepresentation of age to procure liquor and conspiracy to commit misrepresentation of age to procure liquor.
Summer 2007
Pamela Wines, Carlee Wines' mother, files a civil suit against Anthony P. Alvino and Donna Alvino in Rockville Superior court, alleging that "negligence and carelessness" on his part caused "the collision, and the personal injuries, losses and death sustained and suffered" by her daughter.
July 27, 2007
Kara Satalin, who bought alcohol for Alvino and Hall, is given a special form of probation at Rockville Superior Court. As part of the accelerated rehabilitation probation program, Satalin is ordered to perform community service, give $25 monthly to a Carlee Wines memorial scholarship fund and meet other criteria.
Oct. 26, 2007
Alvino pleads no contest to charges of misconduct with a motor vehicle and evading responsibility.**
Nov. 13 2007
Alvino's parents, Anthony C. Alvino, 45, and Donna M. Alvino, 46, of Lindenhurst N.Y. are arraigned in Olean City Court, N.Y. on a felony charge of tampering with physical evidence and misdemeanor counts of third-degree hindering prosecution, fourth-degree tampering with a witness and fifth degree conspiracy. The Alvinos plead not guilty to the charges and are released on their own recognizance.
Dec. 18, 2007
Ken Rusterholz is granted accelerated rehabilitation for after taking a plea agreement related to his involvement hosting a party at Carriage House the night Wines was hit.*** Rusterholz applied for the accelerated rehabilitation, which allows for the possibility of having the charges against him dismissed. He will be on probation for two years. Wines's parents did not oppose Rusterholz's application. Matt Gallo, who hosted the party with Rusterholz, is still waiting for his case to be heard at Rockville Superior Court.
Jan. 23, 2008
Anthony Alvino is sentenced to 37 months in prison for charges of misconduct with a motor vehicle and evading responsibility.
February 2008
Donna and the Anthony C. Alvino are scheduled to appear in court.
- Compiled by Kate King.
Contact Kate King at Katherine.King@UConn.edu.
*The original version of this article listed the date of Alvino's depature as Jan. 21. This is incorrect, it was actually Jan. 20. We regret the error.
**The original version of this article stated that Alvino pled to all of the original charges against him. This is incorrect. We regret the error.
***The original version of this article stated that Ken Rusterholz served alcohol to Anthony Alvino at a party in Carriage house. This is incorrect. We regret the error.
© Copyright 2008 The Daily Campus
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