A verdict was reached Friday in the case of Jeanette Sliwinski, as Judge Garritt Howard ruled her guilty but mentally ill of the charge of reckless homicide, which was a lesser charge than the three counts of First Degree Murder the prosecution was seeking:
A young woman who rammed her car into another in a bid to commit suicide but instead killed three musicians was found guilty but mentally ill Friday in Cook County’s Skokie courthouse.
The prosecution had charged Jeanette Sliwinski, 25, with three counts of first-degree murder, but the judge convicted her of the lesser charge of reckless homicide. A conviction of guilty but mentally ill means she will receive treatment while serving her sentence.
Sliwinski could be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years. Had she been convicted of first-degree murder, she could have gotten a life sentence.
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After the verdict was announced, Gemskie said prosecutors were disappointed.
“We believe the evidence did support a finding of first-degree murder,” she said. “The families of the victims also … of course, they are disappointed. But nothing is ever going to bring their sons and brothers and friends back.”
Musicians remembered
Dahlquist played drums for Silkworm, a band that had played around the Midwest as well as in England, Italy and Japan. After he died the group stopped playing shows together. Glick played guitar and sang with the Returnables, which also disbanded after the crash. Meis played drums with Glick’s wife in The Dials, a group that continued performing.
Friends and family members have tried to keep the memory of the men alive, posting on Internet message boards and Web sites, recording tribute albums and organizing benefit shows.
“For many of us, the passing of a single day without one of these men was difficult to endure,” read a statement on the Web site for The Dials. “They will be longed for always.”
Sentencing is set for Nov. 26.
Everyone here at Superstarcastic sends their thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes to the family of these three friends.
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Comment by Matt K. — October 27, 2007 @ 9:56 am
I’m so sorry to hear that. That is one of the biggest acts of selfishness I have ever heard of. My thoughts definitely do go out to those affected.