Chicago man sentenced to 20 years for DUI crash that killed La Grange woman, Massachusetts man
Juan Rodea-Cruz
DuPAGE COUNTY - A Chicago man accused of causing a head-on crash that killed two passengers in an oncoming vehicle in 2019 has been sentenced to 20 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Juan Rodea-Cruz, 27, entered a plea of guilty to two counts of aggravated DUI causing death in October of last year.
At about 2:47 a.m. on Oct. 20, 2019, Rodea-Cruz was driving in his vehicle northbound on Route 83 in the southbound lanes just north of 55th Street in Clarendon Hills.
While driving on the wrong side of the road, prosecutors said Rodea-Cruz crashed his car head-on into a southbound vehicle that had four passengers inside.
Two of the vehicle's passengers, Marko Boskovic, 27, of Massachusetts, and Laura Uribe, 26, of LaGrange, died at a hospital from their injuries.
Another 27-year-old man was severely injured. The fourth passenger received treatment for his injuries and was released.
The two surviving victims are from Massachusetts, prosecutors said.
Following the crash, officers found Rodea-Cruz in his vehicle with multiple unopened bottles of beer and a 750 ml bottle of liquor.
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"This case is the definition of a tragedy," said DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin. "The senseless loss of two innocent lives will forever be on the shoulders of Mr. Rodea-Cruz. His decision to operate a motor vehicle after he had been drinking cost Marko Boskovic and Laura Uribe their lives. To Marco’s and Laura’s surviving family and friends, I offer my sincerest condolences and wish them well as they continue their lives with just the memories of Marko and Laura to sustain them."
Rodea-Cruz was taken into custody, and has remained there since the crash.
A judge handed down the sentence Wednesday afternoon.
He will be required to serve 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole.