Steger man gets 9 1/2 years for DUI crash that killed 5-year-old boy
By Lauren FitzPatrick Sun-Times Media lfitzpatrick@suntimes.com January 20, 2012 12:18PM
Cecil Conner
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Updated: February 22, 2012 8:03AM
A Steger man whose drunken crash killed his girlfriend’s 5-year-old son was sentenced Friday in Will County Court to 9 1/2 years in prison.
Cecil Conner, 24, had faced up to 14 years in prison. He was convicted in February of two counts of aggravated drunken driving for causing the May 10, 2010, crash on Steger Road near Carpenter Street in Steger.
Michael Langford Jr., 5, was killed after Conner slammed the red Chevrolet Cavalier into a tree, through a fence and into another tree, uprooting it.
Conner’s blood alcohol level was later found to be 0.208; His designated driver, Kathie LaFond, was arrested for an invalid driver’s license less than an hour before by a Chicago Heights police officer who let Conner take the wheel.
“This police officer might have prevented this offense, but he did not cause it,” Judge Edward Burmila said Friday. But, he continued, LaFond and officer Chris Felicetti didn’t hold Conner back from driving.
With about 1 year and 8 months credit for the time Conner has already spent in the Will County Jail, he’ll serve about another six years in prison.
“If only I knew one night of partying could turn into a lifetime of a broken heart and painful memories I would do it differently,” Conner told the judge, standing in his blue jail scrubs to read a two-page statement he wrote. “If I can give you any relief from the worry of sentencing too little or too much it would be in letting you know my punishment will not end when I am released.
“My own mental and emotional punishment will last the rest of my life and is far more painful than anything else,” he said.
Conner had admitted from the witness stand during his trial he was “pretty drunk” after a weekend of partying at his cousin’s house when he took the wheel of the Cavalier. The child who died, he said, was like his own son.
But in an unusual defense, he swore he was following the orders of Felicetti after the officer had arrested LaFond, setting a terrible chain of events in motion.
The sentencing, which briefly began in May, had been delayed while Conner tried to secure a new trial. His attorney, Jeff Tomczak, had argued that Conner’s recorded phone calls from the jail should have been disclosed before his trial — especially conversations between Conner and LaFond. Prosecutors said they didn’t know the recordings existed since the Will County sheriff manages the jail.
The issue went up to the Illinois Supreme Court, which determined that the recordings should not be released.
With that, Burmila finally denied Conner a new trial on Jan. 11.
Tomczak, who plans to file an appeal, had fought for probation for Conner, who has no criminal history.
Conner’s mother, Linda Conner, told the judge her son was respectful, obedient and continues to love Michael Langford Jr. like his own son.
“He tells me he’s hurting and it’s like he’s the father,” she said.
But prosecutors wanted a lengthy prison sentence.
So did Michael’s family on his dad’s side.
In May 2011, the child’s father, who lives out of state, came to town to ask the judge for a stiff prison sentence.
Michael Langford Sr. also told the judge he might eventually forgive Cecil Conner for the loss of his son.
“But (Conner’s) thoughtless and severely careless actions make it extremely hard for me to do,” Langford said.
On Friday, his cousins spoke for him.
“We’re grateful for the sentence the judge handed down,” Kim Lozano said. “It does reflect the seriousness of the crime.
“One of the three people responsible for the crime will serve a sentence for it.”
LaFond, who was a regular at Conner’s previous hearings, did not attend his sentencing. Nor did she write a letter to the judge or submit a victim impact statement.
A lawsuit she filed against Conner, Chicago Heights police and Felicetti still is pending in Cook County Circuit Court.
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