Carly russo chicago

With the sentencing approaching, Julie Contreras, leader of the League of United Latin American Citizens' Lake County chapter, said she's been trying to collect letters in support of Rousso. Contreras said she's heard angry feedback but doesn't think imprisoning Rousso is the answer. On Tuesday, with media present to capture the event, Rousso tearfully warned a group of teenagers and younger children on Chicago's Southwest Side about drug use, recounting her own childhood and the fatal accident.

That's my belief," she said. Rousso's attorneys, meanwhile, have a report documenting the trauma, mental turmoil and drug use they say have marked her life. The report, prepared by a private group that develops information for defendants before sentencing, says Rousso was adopted into a financially comfortable family from a troubled biological mother.

Rousso said she was raped by a classmate at 13, the report says, and after that someone scrawled that she was a slut on the wall of a well-traveled underpass. Prosecutors contended she lost consciousness after "huffing" a can of cleaning product — sometimes also referred to as "dusting" — before passing out while behind the wheel while driving eastbound on Central Avenue.

She drove her father's Lexus over several lanes of traffic and struck a Highland Park family, some of them multiple times as the car lurched onto the sidewalk. Jaclyn Santos-Sacramento was killed. Her mother and two brothers were injured in the crash.

They had sought the longest possible sentence of 14 years after Judge James Booras found Rousso was guilty in a bench trial. Prosecutors had asked for eight years of prison time. The older of the two boys continues to see a therapist to help cope with the traumatic event. The younger still needs physical therapy as a result of injuries from the crash, their father told the Tribune. Local News. Weather Traffic Local News U. Station Info. Follow Us:. Share Tweet Email. Share: Share Tweet Email.

I wish more than anything it could have been me instead of Jaclyn. Highland Park teen found guilty in fatal 'huffing' crash ». Latest Highland Park. Blotter: 2 home burglaries reported in Highland Park. Most Read.