Highland Park Woman Now Faces Reckless Homicide Charges

 Posted on September 30, 2012 in DUI/DWI

According to the Chicago Sun Times, a Highland Park woman now faces much more serious charges following her involvement in a Labor Day crash that killed a five-year-old girl who had been walking down the street with her family. 18-year-old Carly Rousso was driving her Lexus coupe east on Central Avenue in Highland Park when she veered across several lanes of traffic and left the road, driving onto the sidewalk and hitting five-year-old Jaclyn Santos-Sacramento, her mother, and two brothers. At the time, Rousso was charged only with DUI, and released from jail on a $50,000 bond.

After receiving the results of State Police Crime lab tests, however, prosecutors now have upgraded Rousso’s charges to reckless homicide and four counts of driving under the influence of an intoxicating compound. Lab tests detected the presence of the chemical compound difluoroethane in Rousso’s bloodstream at the time of the accident, which is one of several compounds commonly used when “huffing”, or inhaling chemicals in order to get high. Police also found a commercial cleaning product in Rousso’s car at the time of the accident that contained difluoroethane. Rousso turned herself in on the new charges and her bond has increased to $500,000.

Reckless homicide charges can result in a felony conviction with long-lasting consequences, including lengthy prison sentences. As a result, Rousso and anyone who faces such severe criminal charges should immediately take steps to protect themselves and build a strong defense in order to prevent or at least mitigate a potential conviction. For instance, Chicago felony defense attorneys commonly examine lab tests results and enlist the assistance of experts in order to help diminish the damaging effects of those results and/or interpret the results so as to use them to the defendant’s benefit.

If you or a loved one is facing serious felony criminal charges such as reckless homicide or aggravated driving under the influence of a chemical, you must seek the assistance of a qualified Chicago criminal defense lawyer right away. With your attorney’s help, you may be able to seek dismissal of the criminal charges, or at least minimize the penalties that you may face in the event of a conviction.