Politics & Government

Driver Convicted in Fatal DUI's Attorney Continues Battle Over Tapes

The 24-year-old was convicted of a drunken-driving crash that killed a 5-year-old after a Chicago Heights police officer reportedly told him to drive his girlfriend's car home.

As a defense attorney and prosecutors fought over recorded jailhouse phone calls made by a Steger man, who was convicted of killing a 5-year-old in a drunken-driving crash, the Illinois Supreme Court ordered to keep the tapes out of the man's attorney's possession Monday.

The order came down after Conner's attorney Jeff Tomczak and the Will County state’s attorney’s office came to a resolution, according to Sun-Times Media. It was the prosecutors that went to a higher court, asking that Judge Edward Burmila’s decision in favor of Tomczak be revised.

Now, the case could be on hold for as long as it takes the Supreme Court to decide whether it agrees with Burmila’s decision to give the tapes to Tomczak.

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Read Patch's original stories, and "," to learn more about the jailhouse recordings.

Conner, 23, was found guilty of aggravated driving under the influence following a February trial. He faces up to 14 years in prison.

Find out what's happening in Chicago Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Conner was arrested in May 2010 after he rammed his girlfriend's 1997 Chevy Cavalier into a tree. The girlfriend's 5-year-old son, Michael Langford, was sleeping in the car's back seat and was killed in the crash.

The girlfriend, Kathie LaFond, had been driving. But 40 minutes prior to the crash, Officer Chris Felicetti pulled the car over and arrested LaFond, who was sober but driving without a valid license. Felicetti allowed the drunken Conner to drive off with the young boy in the backseat.


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