By Matthew Monks
The driver of the 1997 Honda, Douglas Newton, 27, of 229-04 139th Ave. was charged with reckless endangerment, driving while intoxicated, criminally negligent manslaughter and vehicular manslaughter in connection with the deaths of his neighbors, Jason Kindall, 24, and Daniel Durham, 26, police said.Newton lost control of the car at 4:38 a.m. while driving south on 30th Street, according to the criminal complaint filed in Queens Criminal Court. He sped from a traffic light at 47th Avenue, veered right and slammed into a fire hydrant on the sidewalk, the complaint said.Kindall, who was riding in the front passenger seat, died instantly when the front right side of the vehicle was demolished. Durham, who was riding in back on the passenger side, died during surgery at Elmhurst General Hospital, police said. Newton and the other passenger, Shakira Kahn, another neighbor, walked away unscathed, police said.Newton's eyes were bloodshot and his breath reeked of alcohol at the time of his arrest, the complaint said. Police determined that he had a blood alcohol level of .14 percent, well above the .08 percent legal limit, it said.He was arraigned Monday in Queens Criminal Court before Judge Lenora Gerald, who set bail at $10,000 and a return date of Sept. 13.Newton and his friends drove into Manhattan Saturday night to celebrate Durham's first real estate investment in a three-tenant apartment building in Brooklyn, which the aspiring property investor hoped to renovate and sell, said Willie Slaughter, 49, Durham's stepfather.He described the 26-year-old as an ambitious, serious young man. He rarely smiled, Slaughter said, and was engaged to marry Mia Green, the mother of his 2-year-old son. The wedding was slated for sometime next year.”He was just getting everything together,” Slaughter said. “His dream was financial freedom.”The three men were close, he said, having grown up together on the quiet residential street. Durham and Newton lived next door to each other all of their lives. As children, they would hop over the three-foot-high fence between their yards to play tag, Slaughter said.Kindall lived a few houses over on the next block.They often hung out discussing philosophy and business, Slaughter said, and recorded spoken-word poetry to music.”All of his friends, they were very close,” Slaughter said. “They were like brothers.” Durham worked as a computer engineer for the Department of Environmental Protection in Long Island City. Newton works for the package delivery company Federal Express.It was unclear what Kindall did for a living. His family declined to be interviewed by the TimesLedger. “Come back later,” said a man who was leaving the family's home at 228-10 139th Ave. Monday. “We just lost a family member.” Slaughter said his family has no ill will toward Newton. Immediately after identifying Durham's body on Sunday, he called on his neighbors, telling Newton's parents that he does not blame their son for what happened.”We went over to his house after seeing Danny,” Slaughter said. “I said 'May I come in? It's really strange, I've never been in your living room – I didn't know you had a baby grand piano. But the one thing I do know is Danny and Douglas were the best of friends.'”Reach reporter Matthew Monks by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
