How a deadly DUI and a brave family helped change Wilmington's reporting of fatal crashes
A 52-year-old man who drunkenly got behind the wheel of his pickup and drove it into the side of Shantasia Binaird's car, killing her as she delivered food in Wilmington while trying to make some money for her and her three children in late 2021, was sentenced to prison Friday.
Michael D. Pinkett stood stoically as Superior Court Judge Mary Miller Johnston sentenced him to five years and 60 days in prison — the recommended punishment agreed to by prosecutors and defense attorney.
Binaird's sister, Chris, said she hoped the sentence would bring some closure to the family, but said the hole remains.
"It's just like every time we get over a hurdle; it just brings us right back," she said after Pinkett's sentencing. "Hopefully, this will be enough to get us to where we need to be."
Details of Binaird's death, even the crash, had remained unknown to the general public until her sister reached out to Delaware Online/The News Journal wanting to know why nothing had been reported on the fatal crash. The silence prompted an investigation by this news organization into how Wilmington police for years kept silent on traffic fatalities in the city — a practice the department said began in 2017 and maybe longer before that.
INVESTIGATION: Silence from Wilmington police after deadly city wrecks leave families without answers
While police cannot undo tragedies such as this, experts explain that a sincere expression of support and empathy, along with full transparency, are connected to the healing process.
"This is for the good of the family, the community, and the police," said James Nolan, a former Wilmington police officer who is now a West Virginia University professor of sociology and anthropology, in an interview about this in January.
Since Delaware Online/The News Journal spotlighted the matter in late January, Wilmington police said that moving forward, it would report all traffic fatalities — something that brings comfort to Binaird's family.
"Yeah, now that they acknowledge it for what it is," Chris Binaird said. "Because before, it was just 'it was an accident.' She wasn't just an accident.
"She was my sister. Her life was lost. My nephews lost their mom. My aunt lost a niece. She was my only sister."
So far this year, there have been four deadly traffic incidents, and while the first of those four incidents occurred before this news organization published its findings, the department has kept to its promise and reported on the remaining others, including publicly acknowledging how a 38-year-old man died after being hit by a DART bus.
"We began issuing proactive releases after the first incident in January," said David Karas, a police spokesperson. "So we have issued releases for the three incidents following that one this year."
The number of traffic fatalities in Wilmington this year is down when compared with 2022, which saw a total of eight.
"We participate in a number of initiatives with the Delaware Office of Highway Safety, which work to address pedestrian awareness, distracted driving, seat belt laws, speeding and DUI," Karas said, "and we believe increased education — as well as enforcement — has helped contribute to these numbers."
Working for the family
After a bout with COVID-19 that caused her to stay home, Chris Binaird said her sister wanted to get some money for her and her children and took a food delivery job on Dec. 29, 2021.
As she was driving her Ford Focus east on A Street at 11:58 p.m., court documents obtained by Delaware Online/The News Journal say, Pinkett, then 50, was heading north on South Walnut Street.
Pinkett, who was driving a Chevrolet Silverado Pickup, ran a red light as he entered the intersection and hit the Focus, propelling both vehicles about 120 feet.
Binaird was found unresponsive and had to be extracted from the Ford Focus.
She was pronounced dead at 12:12 a.m. on Dec. 30, 2021 — 14 minutes after the crash, according to court documents.
The silence
Because people had not heard of the fatal crash, Chris Binaird said she would be questioned about her sister — some even doubted how the 37-year-old woman had died.
"She never made the newspaper," the sister said.
That's because there was no public mention by Wilmington police of the crash or the man charged with causing it.
It was challenge after challenge with this case from the beginning, Chris Binaird said. This included authorities unable to find her sister's body because someone labeled it as a Jane Doe and not by her name. Chris Binaird said she had to send a photo of her sister to the coroner's office so they could identify the body.
"It was just a headache," she added. "I've never experienced anything like that."
The family also struggled to understand how Pinkett remained free more than a year after their loved one was buried.
Pinkett was charged with first-degree vehicular homicide and drunken driving the day after the fatal crash, according to Superior Court's public electronic docket. But after his Jan. 26, 2022, preliminary hearing and a May 19 filing by a prosecutor, no other movement appeared on Pinkett's case docket.
He'd also not been in the custody of the Delaware Department of Correction in connection with this case until later this year.
Chris Binaird and her family said that had they not spoken up, they feared Pinkett would still be free.
Pinkett pleas
Pinkett, who'd been charged with driving drunk two years prior, pleaded guilty in August of this year to first-degree vehicular homicide and drunken driving.
Pinkett remained silent during his sentencing hearing, allowing his attorney, John S. Malik, to read a brief statement apologizing to Binaird's family for what he had done. He also said he regretted driving drunk.
"I wish I could change things," he said in his statement.
Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Wilmington fatal crash reporting changed after this woman's death
