Motorist pleads guilty in fatal Buffalo crash

A Buffalo motorist faces a maximum of four years in prison for a fatal drunken driving incident that left a pedestrian dead in December, according to the Erie County District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors said Curtis L. Hall Jr., 36, pleaded guilty Tuesday before Acting Erie County Court Judge Andrew C. LoTempio to criminally negligent homicide, a felony.

Hall was speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol around 9:37 p.m. on Dec. 15, 2023, when he struck a pedestrian in the 1000 block of William Street on Buffalo’s East Side. Michael T. Cosgrove, 69, was trying to cross the street at the time of the incident. He died at the scene.

Hall was initially charged in December with second-degree manslaughter, a more serious crime, and driving while intoxicated.

Hall, who remains free on $7,500 bail, is scheduled to be sentenced July 29.

Acting District Attorney Michael J. Keane commended the Buffalo Police Department’s Accident Investigation Unit for its work in the investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Christopher M. McCarthy of the Vehicular Crimes Bureau.