Prison term possible for Crystal Lake man who killed 4 in crash
How long — if at all — should a man go to prison for crashing his car and killing four of his friends if he was neither drunk nor high?
A Kane County judge will answer the question Wednesday.
Muhammad Jaffrie, 29, of the 500 block of Silver Aspen Circle, Crystal Lake, faces up to seven years in prison after pleading guilty last fall to four counts of reckless homicide.
Jaffrie was behind the wheel at 3:20 a.m. Sept. 8, 2007, when he crashed his car into a tree near Dietrich and Briar Hill roads near Huntley.
Killed were brothers Zohair Husain, 18, and Kumail Husain, 20, of Algonquin; Ayush Joshi, 20, of Hoffman Estates; and Henry Orwualu, 19, of Huntley.
Jaffrie, who sustained internal injuries and a broken shoulder, was charged with aggravated driving under the influence because his blood contained marijuana byproducts.
Under these more serious charges, Jaffrie faced up to 28 years in prison.
But prosecutors dropped the more severe charges and Jaffrie pleaded guilty last fall.
Tuesday, attorneys began a sentencing hearing before Judge David Akemann.
Craig Campbell, a sergeant at the Kane County Sheriff’s Department and member of the Kane County Accident Reconstruction Team, testified that he estimated Jaffrie’s Infiniti was traveling a minimum of 67 mph in a 40 mph zone when it became airborne on a stretch known by locals as “Rollercoaster Hill.”
Defense attorney David Camic plans to argue that Jaffrie, who was 24 at the time of the crash, should get probation.
Camic, in court documents, has argued Jaffrie is the sole provider for his elderly parents, has not had any violations the four years he’s been on electronic home monitoring, has volunteered at charities and his mosque, and is truly sorry for what happened.
Jaffrie also has apologized to the families of his friends.
“Night and day, I recall my irresponsibility,” Jaffrie wrote in a letter to Akemann. “This nightmare is not just haunting, but also has encouraged me to work endlessly and make up for those that I can help through this tragedy.”
The hearing will continue Wednesday afternoon in St. Charles.