Trucker convicted of reckless homicide in 2003 deaths of 8 women

A truck driver intentionally disregarded the risk to those around him moments before his 76,000-pound rig slammed into the back of a tour bus on the Northwest Tollway in 2003, killing eight women aboard, a McHenry County judge said Wednesday in finding the Chicago man guilty of eight counts of reckless homicide.

Vincente Zepeda, 54, of Chicago now faces two to five years in prison. Judge Sharon Prather's verdict was the conclusion of a three-day bench trial related to the crash just west of the Marengo/Hampshire Toll Plaza.

The judge also found Zepeda guilty of failure to inspect or repair a motor vehicle, a charge alleging he was driving with faulty brakes on one of his truck's axles when the crash occurred.

Zepeda declined comment after the verdict, but his attorney said he expects to appeal the decision if Prather does not reconsider.

"I truly believe the judge is incorrect in her ruling," defense lawyer Donald Rendler-Kaplan said. "(The crash) was a misjudgment, a miscalculation, not a criminal act."

Prather, however, ruled that a combination of factors -- including evidence Zepeda was traveling more than 60 mph in a 45 mph construction zone as he approached a traffic backup at the tollbooth -- pointed toward criminal recklessness.

"There was no evidence presented that the defendant took any evasive action to avoid the vehicle he collided with," she said. "He further disregarded obvious cues to reduce his speed."

In fact, in his 13 years as a truck driver, Zepeda had never before had an accident or a ticket.

Zepeda, who will lose his ability to work as a truck driver because of the conviction, also could receive probation when sentenced Jan. 24. He will remain free on bond until sentencing.

McHenry County State's Attorney Louis Bianchi said his office would await the results of a pre-sentence investigation before deciding what punishment to seek in January.

"A message here is that people with (commercial driver's licenses) driving these big trucks have a higher standard of care," he said. "Here's an example of someone deviating from that standard, and the results were catastrophic."

The crash occurred during the midafternoon hours of Oct. 1, 2003, as traffic began to back up in the tollway's eastbound lanes just before the toll plaza. Authorities said Zepeda was traveling at least 60 mph in the 45 mph zone when his truck rear-ended the 25-passenger bus, triggering a five-vehicle pileup that would leave eight women dead, injure about a dozen more and halt tollway traffic for hours.

The women killed were members of Illinois Women's Associates, an organization for foreign women living in the Chicago area. The group was returning from an outing at a Japanese gardens near Rockford at the time.

Zepeda testified Wednesday that he was not speeding and tried as best he could to avoid the fatal collision. He said he thought he was a safe distance from the tour bus, but could not stop quickly enough when it braked suddenly in front of him.

"There were no signs the bus was going to stop," he said. "I braked. I had to brake. But the distance wasn't enough."

Prather later called Zepeda's testimony "somewhat evasive and inconsistent."

During closing arguments Zepeda's defense argued his driving may have been negligent, but not criminal.

"The consequences were horrific; we've said that from the beginning. But it doesn't mean he was acting in an unreasonable manner," Rendler-Kaplan said. "He made a misjudgment."

Prosecutors, however, argued that Zepeda should have known his actions could cause death or serious harm.

"The defendant had no business even going slightly over the speed limit with that vehicle in a construction zone," Assistant McHenry County State's Attorney Donna Kelly said. "He didn't set out to intentionally kill eight people, but he is criminally culpable for his actions."