A Bronx mother accused of killing one of her daughter's young friends in a drunken-driving crash has been brought to court for the first time in the manslaughter case.
A tearful Carmen Huertas sat quietly Tuesday during a brief procedural appearance in state Supreme Court in Manhattan.
She's confined to a psychiatric ward nearly two months after the wreck. Her only other court appearance was by video link from the hospital.
Prosecutors say the 31-year-old drank for hours at a family gathering in Chelsea before piling seven children into her car to take them to a slumber party. The Oct. 11 crash highway killed 11-year-old Leandra Rosado.
Defense lawyer Steven Rubin says Huertas is a caring person who "made a terrible mistake."
Copyright The Associated Press
