Nicholas Roepke
AURORA, Ill. - A Geneva man has been sentenced to 10 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for killing one man and injuring two others in a DUI crash last year.
Earlier this year, Nicholas Roepke, 20, entered a blind plea of guilty to one count of aggravated DUI causing death and one count of aggravated DUI causing great bodily harm.
At about 7:40 p.m. on March 7, 2022, Aurora police officers responded to a crash on northbound Eola Road.
When officers arrived, they located 73-year-old Willie Mosley, of Maywood, suffering from serious injuries.
Mosley was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
While investigating, detectives determined that Mosley and another person stopped on the road and, with help from a good Samaritan who pulled over to help, were reloading a refrigerator onto their pickup truck that had fallen off.
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As the men were loading the refrigerator onto the truck, Roepke crashed into the truck, pinning Mosley between the vehicle and the truck and injuring the two other men.
The man traveling with Mosley sustained minor injuries and refused medical treatment.
The good Samaritan was taken to an area hospital and suffered serious injuries.
Roepke was transported to an area hospital for minor injuries and was released to the Aurora Police Department.
It was determined that Roepke's BAC was .214 shortly after the crash.
"This afternoon, Nicholas Roepke learned that his decision to drive after he had been drinking will cost him the next ten years of his life," said DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin. "This cost however, pales in comparison to what that decision cost Willie Mosley’s family and friends, who are now left with just memories of Willie to see them through the rest of their lives. This decision also cost the injured man a permanent injury that will affect him for the rest of his life. The sad truth is that this tragedy, like all drunk driving fatalities, was 100% avoidable had Mr. Roepke not gotten behind the wheel that evening."
A judge handed down Roepke's sentence Thursday.
Roepke will be required to serve 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole.