http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/2451092,sandra-vasquez-dui-crash-verdict-063010.article
A Kendall County jury today convicted an Aurora woman of causing the deaths of five teens in a 2007 DUI-related car crash.
The guilty verdict reached after more than 11 hours of deliberation means 26-year-old Sandra Vasquez faces up to 28 years in prison when she is sentenced later this year for aggravated DUI and reckless homicide.
(Brian Powers/Sun-Times Media Group)
Wiping tears from her eyes, Vasquez was immediately taken into custody.
The Oswego teens were killed early on Feb. 11, 2007 when Vasquez’s car veered off Route 31 in the far western suburb and struck a utility pole.
Vasquez was giving eight teens from the Oswego area a ride home following a party in nearby Boulder Hill when the deadly 2:20 a.m. crash occurred.
Killed in the crash were Katherine Merkel, 14; Jessica Nutoni, 15; James McGee, 14; Tiffany Urso, 16; and Matthew Frank, 17. Vasquez, the mother of two young children, and three other teens riding in her car were badly injured.
Kendall County prosecutors contended Vasquez’s blood-alcohol level was above the .08 legal limit at the time of the crash and that she was driving more than 25 miles over the speed limit when she lost control of her car.
Tests on blood taken from Vasquez in the hospital after the crash showed her blood-alcohol level to be .105.
But a DUI defense attorney questioned the accuracy of the blood tests, contending Vasquez’s liver was damaged in the crash, affecting the results.
Vasquez testified that she had several drinks the night of the crash, but lost control of the car after being distracted by one of her passengers kicking the back of her seat. When she turned her attention back to the road, she had to swerve suddenly to avoid an oncoming car and veered off the road, Vasquez testified.
On Tuesday, their first day of deliberation, jurors also watched a videotaped interview police conducted with Vasquez in the hospital the day of the crash.
Comments