A 15-year-old Mt. Prospect youth was charged with reckless homicide Tuesday in the deaths of three teenage girls killed nearly three months ago in an auto crash in the northwest suburb, authorities said.
The youth, who allegedly had been drinking before taking the wheel of the car, was named in a juvenile delinquency petition on three counts of reckless homicide, according to the Cook County State`s Attorney`s Office and Mt. Prospect police.
If the youth, Neil Lawlor, is found delinquent, he faces possible confinement to a juvenile detention center until age 21, or he could be placed on probation.
Officials refused to disclose results of a blood alcohol test on the youth after the Nov. 9 accident, but the level of his drinking apparently did not factor into the charges against him, said Andy Knott, a spokesman for the state`s attorney`s office.
”There were three factors,” Knott said. ”He was too young to drive. He was too young to drink and there was speed involved-in excess of 40 m.p.h. (in a 20 m.p.h. zone).
”Those three factors were equal in the determination of recklessness.”
A 17-year-old Arlington Heights youth, who allegedly supplied the alcohol, also has been charged with possession of liquor by a minor, authorities said. He was identified as William Vodicka, of 1014 N. Drury Lane. If convicted, Vodicka could face up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine.
Authorities hope the charges will relay a strong message to other teenagers.
”I would hope that the community will learn from this tragedy,” said Mt. Prospect Police Chief Ronald Pavlock.
The accident sent shock waves through the village with the deaths of Kate Conlon, Emily Serafin and Meggan McDermott, all age 14. Lab results showed that none of the girls had been drinking.
In charging the two youths, authorities gave this account of what they now believe happened:
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About 12 youths, including those involved in the accident, gathered that night to watch a movie at Conlon`s house. The girl`s parents were not home.
At some point, some of the youths decided to buy beer, which Vodicka allegedly managed to obtain.
Several of the youths began drinking in a separate room from the three girls who died in the crash. In fact, the girls apparently were not even aware the drinking was going on.
Sometime later, Lawlor persuaded a 16-year-old girl at the party, Amy Mederich, to allow him to drive her father`s car. The younger girls went along for the ride.
While driving, Lawlor lost control and the car jumped a curb, rolled over a fire hydrant and crashed into a tree. The car was mangled and the three girls were pinned in the back seat.
Conlon and Serafin died a short time later in Northwest Community Hospital, Arlington Heights. McDermott died eight days later at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, never regaining consciousness.
Mederich was a passenger in the front seat, police said. Lawlor, who did not have a driver`s license or a permit, and Mederich were the only ones wearing seat belts, according to authorities.
The months-long investigation included a study by a Niles company that reconstructs traffic accidents. Triodyne Inc. Consulting Engineers was hired in November by Mt. Prospect police and the state`s attorney`s office to study the 1982 Chevrolet Camaro involved in the crash.
”We wanted to make sure we had all the facts,” Pavlock said.
Following the funerals for two of the girls, the subject of teen drinking surfaced several times among students of Prospect High School, who met to discuss the incident even though the toxicology test results had not been released. All of those involved in the accident were students at the school.
Details of the investigation were kept secret because police and prosecutors feared that releasing information piecemeal would only fuel rumors and perhaps contribute to the grief of the families, authorities said.
Throughout the investigation, however, police updated the families of developments in the case. In fact, police met with some family members last week, Pavlock said.
”They wanted the driver and the other parties involved to be held accountable,” Pavlock said.
Those who knew Lawlor and the victims reacted to news of the criminal charges with shock and concern for the high school sophomore.
The families of the three dead girls declined to discuss the charges.
For Mederich, the accident was still too fresh for her to discuss.
”I`m still grieving for the girls,” she said her voice breaking.
Others, including Sue Wasmund, whose daughter, Dina, was a friend of the victims and Lawlor, said the youth had been punished enough for the deaths.
”I don`t think anyone can do any more to him that he hasn`t already done to himself,” Wasmund said. ”A kid that age shouldn`t be held responsible for something of that magnitude.”
Rev. Robert Loftus, pastor of St. Raymond Catholic Church in Mt. Prospect, where Lawlor serves as an altar boy, said the tragedy had changed Lawlor.
”There`s a weight on Neil,” said Loftus. ”He still goes to school, he studies, but there`s a sense of sadness about him.”
Loftus said Lawlor felt tremendous guilt about the girls` deaths, and was afraid that he might face criminal charges. ”He was terribly frightened,”
Loftus said.
Loftus offered support and sympathy for the boy.
”He`s a good kid, a very responsible guy,” the priest said. ”He made a mistake, he acted foolishly, but there was no intention on his part to hurt anybody.”
According to Prospect High School Principal John Ashenfelter, the charges would have a ”sobering effect” on students.
Last May, Ashenfelter said, Cook County State`s Atty. Jack O`Malley talked to the students about the dangers of drinking and driving, and warned that he would not hesitate to prosecute them for breaking the law.
”Perhaps now (O`Malley`s warning) will have some substance,”
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Ashenfelter said. ”Perhaps now the students and young people will pay attention to the law.
”Taking it from the possibility to a reality has to make a difference.”