Melissa Hill | Kane County State's Attorney's Office
SUGAR GROVE TOWNSHIP, Ill. - A Batavia woman has been sentenced to eight years in prison for an alcohol-fueled 2023 crash that killed two people in Blackberry Township.
Melissa Hill, 58, pleaded guilty on June 22 to two counts of aggravated DUI in a crash causing death. On Tuesday, she was sentenced to eight years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Deadly crash
The backstory:
Prosecutors said Hill was driving south on Bliss Road late July 21, 2023, when she attempted to pass another vehicle. She entered the northbound lane in a no-passing zone and collided head-on with a pickup truck, causing a four-vehicle crash in Sugar Grove.
The pickup's driver, Jonathan Couch, 54, of Sugar Grove, was taken to a hospital in critical condition and died the following morning.
His passenger, Teresa Haidl, 56, of Batavia, suffered life-threatening injuries and died at a hospital two days after the crash, prosecutors said.
Passengers in the other two vehicles suffered minor injuries.
Hill was also taken to a hospital after the crash, where her blood was drawn as part of her medical treatment. Her blood alcohol concentration was recorded at 0.236, nearly three times Illinois' legal limit for driving.
Responding officers also found a partially consumed bottle of wine on the passenger-side floorboard of Hill's vehicle. Police reported that very loud music was playing on the car's audio system.
By the numbers:
Under Illinois law, Hill must serve at least 85% of her eight-year sentence. She was given credit for one day already served in the Kane County Jail.
The maximum possible sentence was 28 years in prison, while the minimum was six years in prison or probation. Prosecutors had sought an 18-year sentence.
What they're saying:
"While no sentence will truly be enough to compensate for the loss of Jonathan or Teresa, I would like to thank their families for standing by our side through this process and through the court’s ruling," Assistant State's Attorney Katy Flannagan said in a statement.
The Source: The information in this article came from the Kane County State's Attorney's Office and previous Fox Chicago reporting.