Following trial, jury convicts Providence woman of deadly DUI

Published on Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced today that a Providence woman has been convicted in Providence Superior Court of driving under the influence and causing a crash that killed 38-year-old Andrea Bosworth in 2017. 

On December 9, 2024, following the conclusion of a five-day trial before Superior Court Justice Maureen B. Keough, a jury found Yiranis Liz (age 37) guilty of one count of driving while under the influence resulting in death and one count of driving to endanger resulting in death.  

The Court released the defendant on $10,000 personal recognizance and ordered her to surrender her passport. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 20, 2025. 

"This case is another tragic example of the deadly consequences of driving while under the influence," said Attorney General Neronha." Andrea Bosworth had her whole life ahead of her, but because of this defendant’s reckless actions, Andrea’s family is left with the indescribable pain of figuring out how to navigate life without her. These cases never get any easier, but with accountability comes justice and hopefully, deterrence. I want to thank the Rhode Island State Police for their hard work on this difficult case."

During the trial, the State proved beyond a reasonable doubt that on October 22, 2017, the defendant drove under the influence and caused a crash on Route 95 South killed a 38-year-old woman. 

On October 22, 2017, at approximately 2:20 a.m., Rhode Island State Police responded to a report of a crash on Route 95 South in Providence. The defendant was driving south on Route 95 when she lost control of her vehicle and swerved to the right. The victim, whose vehicle was parked in the right breakdown lane, was standing outside of her vehicle when she was struck by the defendant’s vehicle and propelled about 90 feet from the point of impact.

Emergency responders found Ms. Bosworth unresponsive and transported her to Rhode Island Hospital, where she was placed in critical care. She died about a month later on November 23, 2017.

At the scene, a Trooper administered a series of field sobriety tests on the defendant, during which she exhibited signs of impairment. The Trooper then placed the defendant under arrest and transported her to Rhode Island Hospital. After the defendant refused a blood test, the Trooper sought a warrant for the defendant’s blood, and approximately seven hours after the crash, the blood test results yielded evidence of heightened levels of alcohol and the presence of THC.

"Driving while impaired poses a serious and unacceptable threat to the safety and well-being of our community," said Rhode Island State Police Colonel Darnell S. Weaver. "This avoidable tragedy has caused immense pain for Andrea’s family, and I am grateful that justice was upheld, and the defendant was held accountable.”

Assistant Attorney General John Corrigan of the Office of the Attorney General and Corporal James Gaffney of the Rhode Island State Police led the investigation and prosecution of the case.

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