Teen Whose DUI Crash Killed Sleeping Woman Pleads Guilty
JOLIET (CBS) – A 17-year-old Bolingbrook man who drunkenly drove a vehicle through a bedroom wall, killing a sleeping woman, has pleaded guilty, Will County prosecutors announced.
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Luis V. Benito, of 307 Woodcreek Drive, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated driving while under the influence of alcohol, State's Attorney James Glasgow said Friday in a written statement.
Benito faces between three and 14 years in prison when he is sentenced on March 12.
The victim, Josefina Prospero, and her husband were asleep in bed when Benito crashed his SUV through the wall of their apartment unit early on Nov. 13, 2010. Prospero was pinned beneath the wheel of the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. Her husband, who was sleeping closer to the wall, was unharmed.
A third person in the apartment was injured and treated at a hospital, police said previously.
Benito's blood-alcohol level was .204 at the time of the crash, which is two and a half times the legal limit, authorities said.
"Luis Benito's callous decision to drive while he was drunk resulted in the tragic death of an innocent woman who should have been safe while she slept in her own bed," Glasgow said. "This horrific crash killed Josefina Prospero, and we will be seeking a significant prison term."
