Woman Who Killed Man and his Dog in DWI Crash Said it’s Okay because God Forgave Her

     Just weeks after prosecutors say an elderly South Buffalo man was killed while walking his dog in a marked crosswalk, the woman accused of causing the crash went online with a message.

It was not an apology.

It was not condolences.

It was not even acknowledgment.

     Instead, Renaiyah A. Cornelious told the world that God had forgiven her.

     According to the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Cornelious, 32, was arraigned on felony charges including Vehicular Manslaughter in the Second Degree after prosecutors allege she struck and killed an 80-year-old pedestrian at McKinley Avenue and Lorraine Avenue on December 27th, 2025.

     Authorities say she was driving under the combined influence of alcohol and drugs with two children under the age of 16 inside her vehicle at the time of the crash.

     An elderly man walking his dog never made it home and was pronounced dead at the scene.

     Cornelious now faces the possibility of more than 7 years in state prison if convicted. But before a jury ever hears evidence, the public heard from Cornelious herself.

     And what she chose to say – or more importantly, what she chose not to say – is what has sparked outrage.

     Because in a social media video recorded just weeks after the fatal crash, Cornelious speaks at length about pain, struggle, redemption, and forgiveness.

HER forgiveness.

HER healing.

HER relationship with God.

What never appears in the video is the man prosecutors say died.

No mention of the victim.

No recognition of loss.

No words for grieving relatives.

     No acknowledgment that another human being’s life allegedly ended in the event she repeatedly refers to only as “this situation.”

     To eliminate any suggestion her remarks are being distorted or selectively quoted, Niagara Action is publishing her statement exactly as delivered.

FULL VIDEO STATEMENT FROM RENAIYAH CORNELIOUS (the full video can be watched below):

“These past couple of years I felt like I've been losing the piece of myself every year my little brother died it crushed me but that brought me closer to God and then six months later my Big Brother died and that drifted me away from God and then a few months later I found myself sitting in a jail cell at my ultimate lowest and it was there that I got on my knees and asked God are you with me still and he was because it was then I learned what it meant for God to be a comfort when I had no other option and I hate that it took me to get there to realize that it was through this situation I learned that God is a Redeemer and that he could bring you back from whatever low you find yourself in and it was also in this situation that I understood what it meant for him to be your savior because he is God not because of what you've done or what you didn't do but just simply because he's God so as I go through this season that's what I'm focusing on his grace his mercy and accepting that I have it even though I'm undeserving understanding that I'm forgiven even though I'm undeserving but I'm not gonna hide it anymore I'm not gonna hide because when you hide and fear you are outside of God's presence and I know if I need anything right now it's him.”

     Read it again. Nearly two minutes of reflection. Not one sentence about an elderly man who she killed while he was walking his dog.

     The focus never leaves Cornelious herself. Her suffering. Her redemption. Her forgiveness.

Critics say the absence is staggering.

     Because while court documents describe a fatal crash involving alleged intoxication and children inside a vehicle, the public message centers on personal spiritual renewal.

Faith is personal.

Redemption is personal.

But death is not.

     An 80-year-old man walking through a South Buffalo crosswalk is gone and his dog is left without a companion.

     A family now lives with an empty chair. Holidays changed forever. Phone calls stopped coming.

     Yet the public narrative offered by the defendant is not about loss, but rather the grace that she is granting to herself because God forgave her for running over a man in the streets of South Buffalo just after Christmas. Now that she’s forgiven, she no longer has to “hide,” as she puts it.

     Cornelious reportedly worked as a paralegal, a profession rooted in understanding legal consequences and accountability. That background makes the tone of the video even more striking to observers who expected acknowledgment, humility, or remorse.

     Instead, viewers heard declarations of being forgiven despite being “undeserving.”

Forgiven.

Before trial.

Before testimony.

Before a verdict.

The courts will determine criminal guilt.

But public reaction rarely awaits legal timelines.

     When someone accused in a fatal crash chooses to speak publicly, those words inevitably become part of the story. And here, the contrast is unavoidable.

     One life ended in a crosswalk and his killer’s voice speaks about rebirth and forgiveness before the blood has thawed and washed away on the street.

     The criminal proceedings will continue, evidence will be presented, and a jury will decide the guilt or innocence (even though more than 95% of cases result in a plea bargain).

     To end, here’s a simple question: If Renaiyah’s already been forgiven, where was the apology?

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Woman Who Killed Man and his Dog in DWI Crash Said it’s Okay because God Forgave Her