I decided to do a blog post on something that really hits home for me. I'm not sure if any of you have heard of Sandra Vasquez, but she has affected so many people's lives in so many ways because of one bad decision.
I live in Oswego, a smaller town in the western suburbs of Chicago, just 30 minutes from Joliet. We are a pretty close knit community of roughly 20,000 people. I graduated from Oswego High School in 2010 and my freshman year, during February 2007, five of my fellow peers were killed in a car accident.
Sandra Vasquez is her name - the driver of the car, and has not been a favorite in Oswego since the early morning of February 11, 2007. But lets take a look at what makes this case so interesting. Saturday night on February 10, 2007, eight teens were going to attend a house party located in unincorporated Oswego through a friend that one of them worked with. Alcohol, marijuana and hard liquor were available at the party. After the teens were done at the party, they needed to find a way to get home. Sandra Vasquez, 23 at the time, was the host of the party located at her Aunt's house and offered to drive the teens home. A total of nine people were crammed into one car - a Chevy Malibu, a car only meant to hold six. While driving the teens home, Vasquez lost control of the vehicle, hitting a utility pole around 45 miles per hour. Those killed in the car crash were Katie Merkel, 14; James McGee, 14; Jessica Nutoni, 15; Tiffany Urso, 15; and Matthew Frank, 17.
At this point, Vasquez faced 18 counts of aggravated DUI, and 5 counts of reckless homicide. The toxicology report showed that three of the teens showed bordering legal intoxication in Illinois - a blood alcohol level above .08. But, a preliminary test of Sandra Vasquez's blood alcohol level done at the hospital was .124, almost twice the legal limit. Kendall County State's Attorney charged Vasquez with multiple counts of reckless homicide as well as counts of aggravated drunken driving. Vasquez pleaded not guilty to these charges.
Kendall County Judge Clint Hull issued a sentence for now 26 year old Vasquez who was facing up to 28 years in prison. She got away with 15 years for taking 5 lives recklessly. And if that isn't ridiculous enough, Vasquez wants her case appealed. It was heard by the Second District Appellate Court in Elgin, and there is a chance that Vasquez will get her sentence reduced.
I still have mixed feelings about this whole case, and Sandra Vasquez in general. First of all, i feel that the 15 years that she got was way to little. I feel that she should have gotten more - she killed 5 teens, and her BAC was well over the legal limit of .08. She also has not shown much remorse, at least none that i have heard about or read about anywhere.
Do you think that her sentence will get reduced? What about the original 28 years in prison, is that reasonable and fair, or do you think that Vasquez had a right to appeal her 15 year sentence because it was cruel and unusual? Will she have a possibility of probation or parole?
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