Wayne man pleads not guilty in fatal DUI case
Onofrio J. Lorusso pleaded not guilty Thursday to the reckless homicide of Cameron Godee of West Chicago.
Lorusso, 18, of Wayne, is accused of driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana when he lost control of a Ford Explorer and hit two trees June 14, killing passenger Godee and injuring himself and two other passengers.
The crash happened at 3:22 a.m. in the 3100 block of Royal Fox Drive, St. Charles.
Lorusso also pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence of drugs and driving under the combined influence of drugs and alcohol.
Lorusso is free on $50,000 bond. He is required to wear an alcohol-consumption monitoring device and an electronic home monitor. He received permission in June to attend hockey practice to prepare for playing for Robert Morris College of Aurora. He also received permission in July to attend freshmen orientation at Robert Morris. Lorusso has a hockey scholarship with the college.
He has also asked for permission to attend church on Sundays with his mother, but that motion has not been ruled on.
Prosecutors say tests show Lorusso had a blood-alcohol content of 0.227 - almost three times the legal driving limit of 0.08 for people of legal drinking age in Illinois - and that he tested positive for marijuana after the crash.
Godee, 17, died at the scene of the accident. A 16-year-old boy and 17-year-old Chelsea Mertz of St. Charles were injured. At the inquest to Godee's death, Kane County Coroner's officials testified that Godee also had marijuana in his system, and a blood-alcohol content of 0.241.
Mertz is suing Lorusso and his father. The suit claims the father knew or should have known the younger Lorusso would be driving people home from graduation parties while intoxicated. "Everybody knew this was the night of graduation parties," Mertz's attorney, Michael Clancy, said when the suit was filed.
Godee and Lorusso graduated from St. Charles East High School June 7.