Geneva Man Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison In Fatal DUI Crash

GENEVA, IL — A 20-year-old Geneva man will spend up to 10 years in prison after being sentenced on Thursday in connection with a crash that killed one man and seriously injured another person, prosecutors announced.

Nicholas Roepke appeared at the sentencing hearing Thursday in a DuPage County courtroom after he pleaded guilty in March to aggravated driving under the influence causing death and to one death of aggravated driving under the influence causing great bodily harm in connection with the 2022 crash.

The crash took place on March 7, 2022, when Aurora police responded to a crash on Eola Road. Upon their arrival, officers found the victim, Willie Mosley, 73, of Maywood, suffering from serious injuries.

Mosley was immediately transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. An investigation into the crash found that Mosley and another individual had stopped on the road and, with the assistance of a good Samaritan who pulled over to help, were reloading a refrigerator onto their pickup truck after it had fallen off.

As the men were loading the refrigerator onto the truck, police said that a vehicle driven by Roepke crashed into the truck pinning Mosley between the vehicle and the truck and injuring the two other men. The man traveling with Mosley sustained minor injuries and refused medical treatment. The man who pulled over to assist was taken to a hospital for medical attention after suffering serious injuries.

Roepke was transported to a local hospital for medical attention to minor injuries and was subsequently released to the Aurora Police Department. The investigation also found that Roepke’s blood alcohol content was .214 shortly after the crash.

Roepke posted 10 percent of the $500,000 bond shortly after the crash and has been out on bond since. Roepke will be required to serve 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole.

“This afternoon, Nicholas Roepke learned that his decision to drive after he had been drinking will cost him the next ten years of his life,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said.

“This cost however, pales in comparison to what that decision cost Willie Mosley’s family and friends, who are now left with just memories of Willie to see them through the rest of their lives. This decision also cost the injured man a permanent injury that will affect him for the rest of his life. The sad truth is that this tragedy, like all drunk driving fatalities, was 100 percent avoidable had Mr. Roepke not gotten behind the wheel that evening.”