Driver in fatal Elgin crash was drunk

The blood-alcohol level of an Elgin teen who crashed into a house last fall, killing his passenger, was nearly three times the legal limit for driving, police said Wednesday.

Daniel Chagala-Villaseca, 18, was driving west on the 600 block of Chicago Street in Elgin about 1:25 a.m. Nov. 7 when he missed a bend in the road, skidded through several driveways and crashed into a house, police said. The crash killed passenger Marcelo Martinez-Ayala, 27, of Carpentersville.

At a Kane County Coroner's inquest Wednesday, an Elgin police officer said Chagala-Villaseca's blood alcohol level after the fatal crash was 0.208 percent, while Martinez-Ayala's was 0.21. The legal limit for driving in Illinois is 0.08.

Chagala-Villaseca, of the 600 block of Cleveland Avenue, has been charged with reckless homicide, drunken driving and other offenses. Police said his 1993 Nissan Altima was traveling at least 25 mph even after striking the southeast corner of the house.

Martinez-Ayala, a restaurant cook in the St. Charles area, died of blunt head, chest and abdomen trauma at the scene, Deputy Coroner Amy Renwick said. Toxicology tests showed no traces of illegal drugs.

A coroner's jury deliberated for only minutes Wednesday before ruling the death a homicide with blame placed on Chagala-Villaseca, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is due back in court March 19.