Man pleads guilty to fatal DUI crash that killed wife

An Addison man pleaded guilty Wednesday to aggravated drunken driving in a high-speed crash that killed his wife.

Walter McNally Jr. faces either probation or up to 14 years in prison when sentenced early next year.

McNally, 32, lost control of his Chevy Trailblazer at 3:50 a.m. March 27, 2004, while traveling east on the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway just west of Route 53 near Itasca.

Prosecutor Mike Pawl said McNally was behind the wheel of a speeding car with more than three times the legal limit of alcohol in his system. After hitting a guard rail, the Chevy Trailblazer became airborne before rolling several times in a ditch.

McNally and his two passengers were ejected. None of the three was wearing a seat belt, police said.

The defendant's wife, Angie, a mother of four who turned 28 just days earlier, died from injuries she sustained while a front-seat passenger.

A friend, Jennifer Wruck, 27, of Roselle, and McNally survived despite traumatic injuries.

More than three years later, McNally still is walking with a cane while trying to recover from a broken spine as well as other injuries.

His attorney, Robert Fischer, said McNally completed 75 hours of voluntary alcohol and substance abuse treatment in 2005. He argues McNally has suffered enough.

"It's a horrible family tragedy," Fischer said. "We're hopeful the judge will recognize the difficulties he has at home. Walter loved his wife very much. He has a very difficult future ahead of him."

Prosecutors said the group had been out drinking at bars in Schaumburg and Roselle.

Initially, an Illinois State Police trooper cited McNally with failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. Prosecutors later upgraded charges after reviewing the evidence, including toxicology reports.

The defendant's driving history includes several traffic citations and a 1997 drunken-driving arrest, for which a judge sentenced him to court supervision, counseling and fines.

He is the second DuPage County man in recent years to face reckless homicide charges for a DUI-related crash that killed his wife.

A wealthy Oak Brook CEO, Kevin P. Murphy, received probation for a Dec. 26, 1998, crash that killed his wife, Stacey.

In that case, the wife's parents asked the judge to show mercy to their son-in-law, who had never received a traffic ticket before the fatal crash.

Fischer said Angie McNally's family also is supportive of the defendant, who with their help and that of his family is raising the couple's children. DuPage Associate Judge Mark Dwyer set sentencing for Jan. 11.