Murder Defendant Says Demons, God Controlled Him
CHICAGO (STMW) -- Jurors heard graphic details of a fatal head-on crash and allegations of bizarre behavior from the defendant during opening statements Tuesday in the first-degree murder trial of Mark Oelerich.
Oelerich, of Mundelein, is accused of deliberately crashing the Cadillac SUV he was driving at speeds in excess of 65 mph into a minivan driven by 24-year-old Araceli Villasenor of Round Lake Beach, killing her and injuring her three children.
"This was no accident. No accident occurred on Nov. 21, 2012," Assistant State's Attorney Michael Ori told the jury. "This defendant turned his car directly into the path of their car."
Ori said Oelerich, 23, admitted to being high on drugs, including using the hallucinogenic DMT prior to the crash. Oelrich also allegedly admitted to smoking synthetic marijuana, which Ori said was found in his urine in subsequent tests.
Police and prosecutors previously said Oelerich made statements about being invincible and testing mortality when he allegedly caused the crash on Cedar Lake Road north of Route 120 in the Round Lake area.
Ori said the first police officer to the scene was "horrified" to find Villasenor pinned by the front of her Nissan Quest and the steering wheel, eyes open and "gurgling."
The children were screaming in the van, Ori said.
By the time police safely removed the children from the van, the driver of the other vehicle had left, Ori said.
Oelerich was found by police walking down the street nearby and it took seven officers to subdue him and take him into custody, Ori said.
Oelerich is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated DUI. He also faces several counts of aggravated battery to a peace officer and resisting arrest related to a scuffle with corrections officers while in custody of the Lake County Jail, where he has remained in lieu of $1 million bond since his arrest.
Defense attorney Elliot Pinsel told the jury there is no dispute over the location of the crash, the speed involved, Villasenor's death or her children's injuries. Pinsel said testimony from a psychologist and video of Oelerich's behavior in custody following the crash will prove he was suffering from a "complete break from reality."
"He lacked the requisite knowledge involved to commit first-degree murder," Pinsel said.
Right after the crash, Oelrich said "I cannot die. Life is good," according to Pinsel.
Oelrich allegedly also told arresting officers that he was walking home, and "walking to Italy." Pinsel then told the jury it took multiple officers using stun guns before they could get Oelerich into handcuffs.
In a holding cell in Round Lake, Pinsel said Oelrich removed all his clothes and said he believed "God told him to do it." He also was seen striking the walls, chanting and meditating. Pinsel said Oelrich was still naked when officers attempted to interview him eight hours later, and that he was completely delusional, making statements like "I've been letting demons run my life."
Pinsel said Oelerich's mental health began deteriorating in March 2012, when he began to worry about government conspiracies and was afraid of being put under "martial law."
"He'd hear songs on the radio and think they were about him," Pinsel said. "He wouldn't brush his teeth because he thought the water was poisoned by the government."
The trial is scheduled to continue Wednesday.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)