AURORA (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A 37-year-old Aurora woman convicted of killing five teenagers in a drunk driving crash in 2007 in Oswego has been released from prison.
In 2010, Sandra Vasquez, 37, was sentenced to 15 years in state prison, plus two years of mandatory supervised release. She served 11 years of a 15-year sentence at the Decatur Correctional Center, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.
According to police, Vasquez was giving a ride to eight Oswego High School students in her five-passenger Infiniti sedan in the early morning hours on Feb. 11, 2007, when she crashed into a utility pole along the east side of Route 31 near River Run Boulevard. She was drunk at the time.
Those killed were between 14 and 17 years old, including Matthew Frank, 17, Tiffany Urso, 16, Jessica Nutoni, 15, Katherine "Katie" Merkel, 14, and James McGee, 14.
Vasquez said the teens piled into her car for a ride home from a party hosted by one of her cousins. She admitted to drinking prior to giving the teens a ride. Her blood alcohol level was measured at .124 following the crash, above the legal threshold of .08.
Vasquez was convicted of aggravated drunk driving and reckless homicide.
The Daily Herald reported she was released from state prison July 28 and placed in a work-release program.
Related
