Man pleads guilty to fatal DUI crash in Aurora that killed one person, injured two others
A previous version gave an incorrect town for Nicholas Roepke.
A Geneva-area man faces a potential 14-year prison sentence for killing a man in a drunk-driving crash in Aurora.
Nicholas Roepke, 30, of the 0N200 block of Dooley in unincorporated Blackberry Township, pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of aggravated DUI causing death and one count of aggravated DUI causing great bodily harm for the March 7, 2022, crash on Eola Road in Aurora.
Willie Mosley, 73, of Maywood, had stopped because a refrigerator had fallen out of the pickup truck he was driving. As he and two other people were reloading it, Roepke crashed into them, pinning Mosley between the vehicle and the truck.
One of the other men suffered minor injuries, but the other suffered critical injuries and continues to undergo rehabilitation, according to a news release from the DuPage County state's attorney's office.
Roepke had a blood alcohol content of .214 after the crash, more than twice the legal standard for driving under the influence, according to the news release.
His next court date is May 2, when a presentence report is due.
"Just over one year ago, Willie Mosley's life came to a violent, abrupt end simply because Mr. Roepke, with a stunning disregard for not only his own personal safety but also the safety of innocent others, got behind the wheel after he had been drinking," Berlin said. "Driving is a privilege, not a right. It is a privilege and a responsibility that if not respected, can lead to tragic, irreversible outcomes, as we saw in this case,"
State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in the news release.