A 5-year-old reckless homicide case reached a conclusion Friday when a Cook County judge found a Country Club Hills man guilty on all counts in a Matteson crash.
Simuel Turner, 53, was accused of being drunk and turning in front of a motorcycle ridden by Tinley Park couple Jim and Kasey McFall on July 2, 2011. He faced charges of reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence.
On Friday, Judge Allen Murphy said evidence presented by prosecutors at trial showed the defendant had a blood alcohol content “far in excess” of the legal limit and “had a duty to yield” to the McFalls.
Jim McFall was killed in the crash, which left Kasey McFall, who sat in the Markham courtroom with family as Murphy made his ruling, with permanent disabilities. Justice has not come swiftly enough, she said. The case was one of the oldest in Cook County.
“Five years is too long,” Kasey McFall said.
Turner, who has been out on bail for nearly the entire time since the crash, was taken into custody after Murphy revoked his bond. He faces three to 14 years in state prison when sentenced next month.
Jim McFall’s death devastated the family, which will “never be whole,” said Kirby Clare, Kasey McFall’s brother.
“When you get into this time of the year, with the holidays, there is a void,” Clare said.
Turner was in the left-hand turn lane on Vollmer Road at South Cicero Avenue when he pulled his 2002 Chevrolet pickup truck in front of the McFalls, Murphy said. Jim McFall, 52, was driving, and his wife was a passenger on their motorcycle. An eyewitness account indicted both parties had a yellow light.
But Turner had the responsibility to yield to the motorcycle, Murphy said.
Both Turner and the McFalls were traveling well below the posted speed limit of 45 mph along that stretch of Vollmer Road. Despite the low speeds, the McFalls’ motorcycle was pinned underneath the front of the truck.
One test taken shortly after Turner was taken to St. James Hospital in Chicago Heights determined his blood alcohol content was 0.142, nearly twice the legal limit, Murphy said. A second test based on blood drawn about 90 minutes after the first test put his blood alcohol content at 0.118.
“In layman’s terms, he was sobering up,” Murphy said.
Murphy said testimony from a nurse at trial had Turner admitting to drinking before getting behind the wheel and crashing his truck.
Turner returns to court for sentencing Oct. 28.
Nick Swedberg is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
