Crime & Safety
Supreme Court Denies Phone Recordings for Steger Man in Fatal DUI Accident
Cecil Conner, who crashed his girlfriend's car in Chicago Heights, killing her 5-year-old son, will be sentenced next week.
The Illinois Supreme Court has sided with Will County prosecutors in a Steger man’s fatal drunken driving case, denying the release of jailhouse recordings in his efforts to win a new trial, according to the Sun-Times Media.
Reporter Lauren FitzPatrick writes that the Supreme Court ordered a Will County trial judge to reverse his Sept. 27 decision forcing prosecutors to hand over recorded jailhouse phone calls in the case against Cecil Conner, 24, of Steger.
Conner was found guilty of aggravated DUI for the May 10, 2010, crash that killed 5-year-old Michael Langford Jr., the son of Conner’s girlfriend, after police gave him the keys to drive.
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The jailhouse has recorded conversations between Conner and his girlfriend.
FitzPatrick wrote:
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Prosecutors had argued the recordings weren’t evidence that needed to be turned over to Tomczak under criminal trial rules, saying neither they nor the lead detective in Conner’s case had listened to the tapes.
The case now moves to sentencing, which is set for Monday, Nov. 21.
