Jimmy Connors pleaded guilty in fatal Henry Hudson Parkway crash.
The Next Day
Jimmy Connors drove south in the northbound lanes of the Henry Hudson Parkway and hit the Dodge driven by groom-to-be Kirk Walker, who was carrying his cousin Robert McLaurin, in a crash recorded at 2:25 a.m. on August 24, 2024; the record lists two deaths and four injuries.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
On August 24, 2024, Connors drove a Chevrolet pickup south in the Henry Hudson Parkway's northbound lanes and hit Walker's Dodge head-on near West 165th Street, according to an account of Connors's guilty plea. The crash record counts two people killed and four injured; Walker was due to marry Shauntea Weaver the next day.
Connors admitted driving against traffic.
West Side Spirit reported that Connors admitted driving a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado south in the parkway's northbound lanes at about 2:25 a.m. on August 24, then hitting the Dodge driven by Walker head-on at West 165th Street. The report says Connors left the pickup, crossed the center median and entered nearby woods; the pickup later became engulfed in flames.
Reports differ on the Toyota's involvement.
An August 24 Gothamist report, citing police, said the pickup driver hit an Audi and a Toyota after the Dodge. An August 30 amNewYork report instead said Chevrolet debris struck the Toyota after the Chevrolet hit the Dodge and Audi.
Reports also differ on what the pickup passenger did.
An August 24 New York Post report said both pickup occupants ran and the passenger was apprehended nearby. Later police accounts reported that the passenger stayed at the scene.
Reports differ on the exact location.
The official record places the crash on the Henry Hudson Parkway. West Side Spirit's account of the guilty plea places the head-on collision at West 165th Street, while an August 25 New York Post report placed it near West 154th Street.
Four vehicles were involved.
The crash record lists a 2017 pickup, a 2021 sedan, a 2018 sedan and a 2019 station wagon or SUV. Reporting identifies them as a Chevrolet Silverado, Dodge Challenger, Audi S3 and Toyota RAV4.
A wedding became a day of mourning.
Walker, 38, was a Manhattan father of three and owned a rental-car business. He and Shauntea Weaver planned to marry the next day at the Royal Manor in Garfield, New Jersey. McLaurin, 40, was Walker's cousin and was visiting from Dunn, North Carolina, for the wedding.
Family members told CBS News the cousins were returning from pre-wedding celebrations. Relatives gathered for a vigil instead of the wedding. McLaurin's father, Robert McLaurin Sr., said, "My son was his best friend." Weaver said, "Kirk was amazing. He was the best, best person ever."
Reports differ on where the men were pronounced dead.
CBS News reported that Walker and McLaurin were pronounced dead at the scene. Later amNewYork and West Side Spirit reports said they were taken to hospitals and pronounced dead there.
The crash record cites improper lane use.
The official record lists "Passing or Lane Usage Improper" as a contributing factor. The account of Connors's guilty plea says he drove south in the northbound lanes.
Connors pleaded guilty to four counts.
Connors was 17 when police arrested him in September 2024. An October indictment charged him with two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of manslaughter, two counts of criminally negligent homicide and three counts of leaving the scene. The New York Post reported in July 2025 that he had pleaded not guilty.
West Side Spirit reported on January 26, 2026, that Connors, then 18, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree manslaughter and two counts of leaving the scene of an incident without reporting. The report said sentencing was expected on February 27, 2026, with an expected prison term of 7 1/3 to 20 years.
A civil lawsuit raised separate allegations.
A July 2025 New York Post report described Weaver's lawsuit alleging that Nebula nightclub staff served Connors alcohol despite visible intoxication and that off-duty officer Boubacar Barry pursued him in a personal SUV after an earlier crash. Police reporting had separately described a Toyota RAV4 driver pursuing Connors as he fled an earlier crash. West Side Spirit reported that civil cases remained ongoing in January 2026.