NYC driver sentenced for killing man in ram mishap — as lawyer claims she’s ‘wonderful person’

A driver who crushed an innocent disabled bystander as she tried to run down a rival on a Queens sidewalk was hit with a 18-year prison term, prosecutors said Monday.

Kiani Phoenix, now 29, was aiming her Honda Accord at her “abusive” boyfriend’s sister after the two women got into a fight outside a Far Rockaway deli – but instead crushed 59-year-old victim Milton Storch as she hit the gas in August 2022, the Queens District Attorney’s Office said.

Surveillance footage of the brutal crash showed Phoenix’s Honda jump the sidewalk and smash into Storch, who is helplessly sitting in front of the store and immediately pinned into the wall.

“Kiani Phoenix made the deadly decision to get behind the wheel and aim her vehicle at another woman to settle their dispute,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement.

“Tragically, an innocent man seated in a walker could not escape her path and lost his life.

“We cannot undo what happened, but hopefully this sentence brings a measure of comfort to Milton Storch’s loved ones as they continue to mourn his loss.”

The prison sentence was handed down by Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder on Friday.

She previously pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter on Oct. 9, prosecutors said.

The deadly driving was sparked when she and the 27-year-old sister of her boyfriend got into a scuffle around 7 a.m. outside Rohan Deli, according to her past lawyer.

Phoenix then jumped in her car, put the car in reverse and veered toward the sister who ran inside the store to avoid danger, according to prosecutors and video.

But Storch, who was sitting on his walker, wasn’t able to scramble away and was caught in the crosshairs.

Phoenix then backed into a 36-year-old man and drove off, the DA’s office said.

Her lawyer, Robert Osuna, said the guilty plea and prison time would allow everyone in the case to move on even if he felt 18 years in lock-up was excessive.

“She wanted to accept responsibility and give closure,” he said, adding Phoenix prays for the victim every day. He called his client a “wonderful person” who committed a “tragic mistake.”

Her past lawyer, Marvyn Kornberg, previously told The Post the alleged abuse endured by Phoenix set the stage for the deadly crash. Both Kornberg and Osuna have said Phoenix was attacked by the boyfriend’s sister before she hopped in her car.

“She’s a victim of domestic violence but there’s no guarantee under the law that you’ll get sentenced like that,” Osuna said.