23 years in prison for West Dundee man who caused fatal 2018 Hoffman Estates crash
The driver responsible for a horrific Hoffman Estates crash more than 2½ years ago that claimed the lives of a South Barrington mother and daughter was sentenced to 23 years in prison Thursday.
Michael Kelley, 50, of West Dundee received the sentence in exchange for pleading guilty to two counts of aggravated DUI causing death. He must serve at least 85% of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.
Mary Kendzior, 82, and her daughter Lisa Kendzior, 50, died after Kelley's truck struck them head-on at 83 mph as he drove the wrong way, with his lights off, on Higgins Road on Aug. 3, 2018.
Expressing "heartfelt sympathy" for the Kendzior family, Cook County Judge Steven Goebel said he was shocked by the facts of the case. Particularly unsettling was Kelley's .3 blood alcohol content, which is nearly four times the .08 legal threshold. Goebel described the level as "astronomical, rising to the stars."
"You chose to drive a very large vehicle in a very drunken and maniacal manner" to prevent another DUI arrest and in the process extinguished "the lives of two members of a loving family," said Goebel.
"There is a lot of pain in this courtroom and a lot of suffering," Goebel said. "I hope the sentence I'm about to impose serves to deter others from acting in the same maniacal manner as you did."
Speaking at the sentencing hearing, Amy Collar described her mother, Mary, as a woman of faith, the mother of nine and a loving grandmother who was "beautiful inside and out." She died clutching her rosary.
Collar said her sister and maid-of-honor Lisa Kendzior was an artistically gifted woman with "a contagious laugh and smile" who loved her nieces and nephews like they were her own children.
The victims were "the glue that held my crazy family together," said granddaughter and niece Victoria Moran. "So much was taken from us. ... They had more to do."
The women were also beloved members of the community, said Mary's son-in-law Thomas Moran, as evidenced by the more than 1,000 people who attended their funeral.
"Because of their faith, we knew mom and Lisa would want the congregation to pray for you. So we did," Moran said to Kelley. "That is their legacy: family, faith, hope and love. Your legacy is death, destruction, grief and sorrow."
According to Assistant State's Attorney Glendon Runk, the black box from Kelley's vehicle indicated he did not apply his breaks until half a second before impact.
Before the crash, while driving east on Higgins Road, Kelley - who has three previous DUI convictions - sideswiped another vehicle, knocking off a side mirror, Runk said. The driver followed Kelley's GMC Sierra while another occupant dialed 911 and reported his license plate number. At Higgins Road and Prairie Stone Parkway, Kelley made a U-turn and drove fast on the grassy median for about a half mile then entered the eastbound lanes with his headlights off. He struck the Kendziors' car at about 9:36 p.m.
Both women had to be cut from the vehicle, according to authorities. Paramedics found no pulse on Lisa Kendzior, who was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. Mary Kendzior died a few hours later at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.
Kelley's attorney Sam Amirante said his client has expressed remorse daily since the accident.
"There is no punishment that anyone can impose that he hasn't already imposed upon himself," Amirante said.
Addressing the court, Kelley said he spent the last two years searching for the words to apologize.
"I came to the conclusion there are no words to apologize for what I've done," he said. "I can't see how Jesus can forgive me when I can't forgive myself."
Facing the Kendzior family, he again stressed his remorse.
"I can't express how sorry I am," he said. "It should have been me."