Moments after a jury convicted the women of killing his daughter and four other teens in a drunken-driving crash, Anthony Urso said he hoped the verdict would bring him a little peace.
“It’s the beginning of closure, a little bit,” said Urso, fighting back tears Wednesday as he stood outside the Kendall County Courthouse. “I don’t think this ever closes, but it’s a start.”
Jurors deliberated for nearly 12 hours over two days before convicting the women of reckless homicide and aggravated DUI in the 2007 crash that killed 16-year-old Tiffany Urso and four of her friends.
The 26-year-old defendant was giving eight Oswego teens a ride home from a party on Feb. 11, 2007, when her car swerved off Illinois 31 and rammed a utility pole in the far west suburb.
Prosecutors argued the Aurora woman was drunk and speeding when the deadly 2:20 a.m. crash occurred. The women, however, testified she lost control of her car when she was distracted by one of her passengers kicking her seat while she was trying to avoid an oncoming vehicle.
The women and three passengers in her 2001 Nissan Infiniti were seriously injured but survived.
“We’re very satisfied by the verdicts,” said Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis. “But more importantly, it was very satisfying for the families and the victims in this case.”
Killed along with Tiffany Urso were Katherine Merkel, 14; James McGee, 14; Jessica Nutoni, 15, and Matthew Frank, 17.
The women, the mother of two young children, sat stoically as she was convicted of all 21 felony charges. But she began sobbing as Judge Clint Hull revoked her bond and ordered her jailed until her August sentencing.
A weeping relative called out, “Stay strong,” as the women was removed from the courtroom.
The verdicts mean the women faces up to 28 years in prison, though she also is eligible for probation.
Relatives of several teens said they were relieved that the women was held responsible.
“I’m glad it’s over. Justice was served,” said Michael Nutoni, Jessica’s father.
But some said the guilty verdicts will do little to ease their pain.
“It’s really not justice. We’re never going to have her back,” said Tiffany Urso’s aunt, Debbie Stompanato.
Stompanato and several other relatives, though, also expressed sympathy for the women, saying she will be separated from her own children if she is sent to prison.
“I really feel for her,” Stompanato said. “There’s no winners here. Everybody suffers.”
The women’s parents and other family members left the courthouse without commenting.
Defense attorney Kathleen Colton said she would seek probation for the women– the mother of a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old who has no criminal record — but said she also expects to appeal the guilty verdicts.
“There aren’t any winners in this case,” Colton said. “There are five teenagers that lost their lives. Three that were injured. Sandra got injured.”
Weis said he would oppose any request for probation, calling that sentence “a far stretch” given the severity of the crash.
A key issue throughout the trial was how much the women drank before the crash.
Tests on blood taken from the women in the hospital after the crash showed her blood-alcohol level to be .105 — above the .08 legal limit, prosecutors said.
But Colton questioned the accuracy of the blood tests, contending the women’s liver was damaged in the crash, skewing the test results.
Jurors during their deliberations watched a videotaped interview police did with the women following the crash in which she admitted having several drinks at the party before taking the wheel. She insisted she wasn’t drunk when the crash occurred.
Though Anthony Urso hopes for some healing, he also said he is just glad the painful trial has ended.
“I’m happy it’s over,” said Urso, who called hearing the crash details recounted in court “the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life.”
If you have recently been arrested for DUI in Chicago or elsewhere in Illinois you should waste no time contacting an Illinois DUI attorney.
