A Porter Superior Court judge challenged Austin Emery Thornton during his sentencing Tuesday for reckless driving that killed an 18-year-old woman to make this a “turning point” in his life.
“You can let this be the end of your story, or you can let it be the turning point. Use your time to get sober, to get educated, and to become someone who honors the life that was lost,” said Judge Rebecca Buitendorp of Porter Superior Court 5, according to a release from the court after the sentencing concluded.
Thornton, 20, of Crown Point, had earlier pleaded guilty to a Level 5 charge of reckless homicide and a misdemeanor charge of transportation of a minor possessing alcohol. Eight other charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.
Buitendorp sentenced Thornton to six years in the Indiana Department of Correction but suspended two years to formal probation. As a condition of probation, Thornton will be evaluated and must undergo anger management treatment.
Thornton also received 60 days for the misdemeanor charge and had his driver’s license suspended for three years.
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On the Saturday afternoon of June 21, 2025, Thornton was driving on U.S. 12, with Saelor Guistolisi, 18, in the backseat, when he became enraged that his pickup truck was passed by a smaller car, the court record says.
As a result, he accelerated and passed the car but lost control on a curve at U.S. 12 and Waverly Road. Guistolisi was thrown from the vehicle, suffering a fatal head injury. Thornton had a blood alcohol of 0.063%, which led to an intoxication charge because he was not permitted to have alcohol, court records show.
“Saelor was 18 years old. She was your friend. She got into that vehicle trusting you to get where she was going. That trust cost her her life,” Buitendorp said in the release.
Guistolisi had just graduated from Crown Point High School and had everything in life ahead of her. Buitendorp said the family’s grief displayed in the courtroom Tuesday will remain long after the hearing.
“Mr. Thornton, you will carry Saelor’s name with you for the rest of your life. What you do with that weight is now your choice,” Buitendorp said.
The judge noted that when the fatal crash occurred, Thornton was on pretrial release after being arrested three times in Lake County within the prior six months, all for offenses that involved a mixture of alcohol and anger.
“Each new case should have stopped you. None of them did. The fourth offense, the one we are here for today, was the one that cost a life,” Buitendorp said.
Buitendorp said that young people sometimes make bad choices.
“Someday you may be able to speak to other young people and keep them from making the choice you made. That would be one way to give Saelor’s death some meaning,” Buitendorp said.
For Saelor’s family, Buitendorp said she recognizes their loss. “No sentence measures the value of your child’s life, and today’s sentence does not attempt to.”
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.