In what Kane County Judge Timothy Sheldon called "one of the toughest cases I've ever had to decide," convicted drunk driver Onofrio "Josh" Lorusso was sentenced to a 180-day jail sentence, the Chicago Tribune reported. The drunk driver killed his friend.
The Chicago Daily Herald reported that 19-year-old Onofrio Lorusso could have served up to 14 years in state prison for the DUI-triggered accident that claimed the life of his good friend Cameron Godee, just 17 years old.
The convicted DUI offender's Chicago DUI attorney was not cited by either article, but probably deserves a mention for helping his client secure such a favorable sentence, given the seriousness of the crime.
Onofrio Lorusso will spend 120 days in the Kane County jail this year and the remaining 60 days will be split over the next two summers. He also is expected to pay the victim's family $30,000 in restitution. Judge Timothy Sheldon told him that he will receive credit for one day's jail time for each public speech he gives about the fatal incident.
The Wayne resident and Robert Morris University student had a blood-alcohol content nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08 percent on June 14, 2009 when his SUV crashed into a mailbox and two trees, killing Cameron Godee. He apologized to the victim's parents and then to his own mom and dad:
"I'm sorry I let you down. I finally understand what they meant when they said they would love me unconditionally. I loved Cameron like a brother. This will haunt me."
The victim's mother, meanwhile, gave a victim-impact statement and said her family was handed a "life sentence of loss and sadness" as a result of the DUI crash:
"Our son's life was taken away from us in a moment of sheer horror. There is a void in our life that can never be made right."
Related Resources:
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Victims of Crime (LawBrain)
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'Prison Break' Actor Settles Lawsuit Over Fatal DUI Crash (FindLaw's Injured Blog)
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Contact a Chicago DUI Lawyer (FindLaw)
