Justice for Justine

May 2nd, 2008- Patrick Prosniak received thirty months
probation and 100 days (800 hours) of community service.
His drivers license has been revoked and turned over
to the Secretary of State office. He was released from
Cook County Jail and will be able to spend the night
with his family.

April 4th, 2008- The sentencing hearing continued with the
rest of the impact statements being read. Judge Linn ruled
there does need to be jail time with the charges but needed
time to digest the information of the impact statements that
had been read. Judge Linn continued the case to May 2nd
to make the decision of what the jail term will be. In the
interim Patrick had to report immediately to the Department
of Corrections in Cook County Jail.

March 4, 2008- Patrick Prosniak plead guilty to two counts of
reckless homicide. The sentence hearing was started and
will continue on Friday April 4th, 2008. Sentencing in this case
could be anywhere from probation to 10 years in the Department
of Corrections.

Jan. 17th, 2008-Defense Attorney requested a pre-trial investigation.

                           Pretrial investigation
Officers investigate the defendant for the court by gathering and verifying information about them. Investigations include –
o     Interviews with defendant to find out about their backgrounds, including family, education, employment, finances, physical and mental health, and alcohol or drug abuse.
o      Criminal history checks.
o      Interviews with other people who can provide helpful information, such as family members, employers, and law enforcement officials.
o     Reviews of records, such as court records, school records, military records, financial records, and employment records.

The purpose of this pretrial investigation is to inquire into the truth of the matter set forth in the charges, to consider the form of the charges, and to secure information to determine what disposition should be made of the case in the interest of justice and discipline. The investigation also serves as a means of pretrial discovery for the accused and defense counsel in that copies of the criminal investigation and witness statements are provided and witnesses who testify may be cross-examined.

THE IMPACT STATEMENTS ARE THE ONLY TOOL THE JUDGE RECEIVES ABOUT THE VICTIMS!!

Dec. 19th, 2007-The States Attorney submitted all evidence to Judge Linn.

Nov.20,2007-The States Attorney waiting for additional subpoena evidence to arrive.

Oct.19, 2007- The States Attorney and Defense attorney agreed to hire an expert and complete an autopsy of the car on November 9th, 2007. States Attorney asked the Judge Linn to revoke Patrick's driving license. Judge Lynn gave Patrick restricted driving times.

Sept. 13th, 2007-Patrick pleaded NOT GUILTY in the arraignment hearing.

August 30th, 2007 court appearance States Attorney assigned case numbers.

August 22nd, 2007 States Attorney asked for an extension.

Driver in Edens crash reached 90-100 mph: prosecutor

EDENS WRECK | Man faces reckless homicide charges, $200k bond

August 3, 2007

A Chicago man faces reckless homicide charges after a high-speed crash on the Edens Expy. left two people dead.

Patrick Prosniak, 23, hobbled into bond court on crutches Thursday, recovering from injuries he suffered in a July 22 wreck that killed Justine Stevens, 22, and Joseph Thomas, 23. Judge Colleen Hyland set bond at $200,000.

The crash occurred about 2:05 a.m. on July 22 when Prosniak, Stevens and Thomas were out for the night.

Prosniak was driving, with Stevens in the front passenger seat and Thomas in the back seat, Bruce said. Just north of Wilson Avenue, the car reached a speed of 90 to 100 mph, Bruce said. When a slower car pulled in front of Prosniak, he peeled from the far left lane to the far right lane and lost control, Bruce said. The car spun and hit a median.

A blood test taken five hours later showed Prosniak's blood alcohol level to be .019, Bruce said. That is below the .08 level at which a driver is considered intoxicated under the law.