Collision Course
In 2005, a young woman bent on self-destruction intentionally drove her car into the back of another. She lived. Three musicians on their lunch break died. This year, as her prison sentence comes to its end, the case remains a tragedy without closure or explanation.
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The first calls to Skokie 911 came in about 12:15 p.m. on July 14, 2005. Sometime before that, Jeanette Sliwinski's red Mustang was rocketing down Dempster Street. She was heading east, away from her home in Morton Grove, over the Edens Expressway. She was weaving from lane to lane chaotically enough to make other drivers notice and move out of her way.
Sliwinski declined to be interviewed for this story. But her parents, in their first formal media interview since the crash, say their daughter grieves for the victims and their families as she serves her sentence in the Dwight Correctional Center, a maximum security women's prison about 80 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. Her mother says that, to this day, Jeanette can't explain what was going through her mind in the minutes before the crash. "She does not remember anything specific," says Ursula Sliwinski, who speaks with her daughter several times a week. The family members say they now live in fear of a potential civil suit and that the media still hound them, intrigued not only by a tragic story line but also by Jeanette's stints as a model and stripper. Recently, a cable network had been calling to interview them for Snapped, a series on female killers. They declined.
Sliwinski's parents, Ursula and Tadeuscz (Ted), were born and raised in Poland. They married in 1978 and came to Chicago because Ursula's mother had herself been born in Chicago and encouraged her daughter to immigrate here. Jeanette was born in 1982. Soon after, the Sliwinskis moved from Norwood Park to Morton Grove. Their second child, Robbie, now a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, was born in 1986. "We are immigrant people who come to this country with practically nothing," says Ursula, who works as a cleaning service supervisor in a building downtown. Her husband is an electrician. "We do everything for our kids."
Jeanette Sliwinski's parents and brother are sitting in the back corner of a Bakers Square restaurant in Niles. With them is a friend and family spokesperson named Toni Randle. Ursula Sliwinski describes the daughter she once knew: the girl who adored animals and swimming; who took ballet classes; who worked as a lifeguard at Oakton Pool and who got a worker's permit at age 15 so she could work at Vitello's Bakery in Skokie. The mother talks about a teen who earned mostly Bs at Niles West High School, joined the swim team, played volleyball, and was active in the Polish club. Ursula Sliwinski tells how her daughter went to Oakton Community College but ultimately graduated from Columbia College. She bought a suburban condo and was looking into graduate school for teaching. "She loved kids," her mother says.
But there are also parts of Jeanette Sliwinski's life that her parents can't explain. Possibly as early as high school, Sliwinski was working at Heavenly Bodies Gentleman's Club, a topless bar in Elk Grove Village. (Family members say they didn't learn this until after the crash, when it came up in the Chicago Sun-Times. "We didn't know," says her brother, Robbie.)
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In an interview, her attorneys, Tom Breen and Todd Pugh, fresh from defending the owner of the E2 nightclub after the deadly stampede, confirmed that Sliwinski worked as a stripper—but they put the date later, in 2003, when she was around 21. "Her recollection was that she worked there for a couple of weeks," says Pugh. "She started running with a racy club crowd and it was quick easy money." Sliwinski, a five-foot nine-inch bleach blonde with hazel eyes, also picked up the occasional modeling job; her family says her career consisted mostly of a few trade shows, but, after the crash, risqué photos, allegedly from her portfolio, surfaced on the Internet.
In court, prosecutors described Sliwinski as a party girl who stayed out with friends until 4 a.m. and used cocaine, Ecstasy, and other drugs. They suggested that she had been partying in the days before the crash, a sign that she was not insane, as her defense team claimed. In response, Sliwinski's attorneys said her party-girl persona was overblown, created to prejudice the court and public opinion. "If she were a homely shut-in, she would not have been charged with first-degree murder," says Breen.
Voice cracking, Mrs. Sliwinski tells how, three months before the crash, her daughter began to show signs of mental illness. Ursula describes the helplessness she felt as Jeanette looked for medical care and visited three different therapists between April and July 2005. She talks about the pills the therapists prescribed, and how her daughter mixed them with herbal cures she found on the Internet. Nothing seemed to work. "I always believed in the doctors," the mother says, in her heavily accented English. "Jeanette says to me she doesn't feel good, she feel 'like a zombie,' and I say, 'Just listen to what doctor says' because, 100 percent, I believe in doctor."
Ursula Sliwinski uses that same word—"zombie"—to describe her daughter on the morning of the crash. As a distraction, Mrs. Sliwinski suggested that they cut the grass outside their Morton Grove home. She was just biding time until they would leave for a 3 p.m. appointment to see a psychiatrist. "I was trying to keep eyes on her," the mother says. Outside, Jeanette stood still, hardly moving and not talking, so her mother suggested another distraction—iced coffee at a nearby Dunkin' Donuts. There, forgetting to pick up her drink, Jeanette walked out. Next, they went to an eyeglass store where Jeanette refused to approach the counter and retreated to the car. On the way home, her mother remembers passing a two-car accident near their home and seeing her daughter cry. "We were just waiting for the appointment to come," Ursula says. "My daughter would never, ever, ever, want to hurt nobody or kill herself, I can swear to my God."
Sometime before noon, Ursula Sliwinski says, she got a call from a friend. With her mother occupied, Jeanette Sliwinski slipped out the door, got into her red Ford Mustang, and drove down the street—past her father, who was coming home for lunch. When her husband walked in the door and said he had seen their daughter leaving, Ursula grabbed her car keys and took off after her. "I thought she left to see the doctor," she says.
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This article appears in the August 2008 issue of Chicago magazine.
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Thank you for this piece. People should never forget the amazing souls that were Doug, John, and Mike. I'm glad you were able to capture a piece of how much they meant to us all.
Why does your fragile mental state entitle you to another chance to do this again? Clearly, if she just wasn't in control of herself due to psychiatric problems and prescription drugs, then there is no reason why she wouldn't just hop in another car and kill more people in the future. Either she can control herself or she can't.
I knew John in high school. Everything written here about his character is true - he was always laughing, always making other people laugh, creative, talented, vibrant, magnetic, dynamic, in love, absolutely head over heels in love with music...
But some judge bent over backwards to make excuses for her. He should remember that when she gets her license back, it could be his family sitting there at the red light.
I saw this on "Snapped" last night (not so pretty without the hair dye and all that make-up, is she? Empty eyes, no soul behind them whatsover.)
Why was she allowed to get away with three murders?
Why were those three men's lives held so cheaply?
And she's going to be allowed to drive again? That's outrageous.
That judge should be removed from the bench immediately.
Terry Callen
Gloucester City, NJ
I cannot believe this woman is being set free. They say she is mentally ill, so she apparently needs mental help. She is sick, and the thought of death didn't stop her from this crime, so why should jail? I say revoke her license and get her the help she needs.
What is wrong with the justice system in this country????? Very very sad. My prayers are with the families of the victims.
A sad event yes, but all too often we say 'justice was not served' and blame the system when we confuse justice with vengeance. What would Rebecca call adequate closure in this situation? Who would decide weather that punishment was just?
There are only a couple of methods of justice I can think of in this case. Life imprisonment (which I would gladly put my tax money into) or banishment. I do not always believe in eye for an eye so I can't wish her death, but this is a travesty of justice.
I went to school with Jeanette for 15 years, she is a great person who has gone through a lot the last few years. Everyone in our towns feel for the 3 guys that were killed, but we also feel for Jeanette who is seriously ill and needs help. She wanted to kill herself, not someone else. Its just sad that it all happened differently. Whats done is done. Everyone should pray for her return to health, and for the health of the victims families.
I live in Columbus, Ohio where just a few days ago a guy was sentenced to 34 years in prison for killing three asian students in a 'similar fashion'. His SUV hit another car and went airborne causing a 9 car accident. His excuse was he got mad at a driver on a cell phone and the fast food restaurant didn't prepare his sandwiches right. Difference here is he killed 2 people in another accident that he got jail time for (believe 10 years) www.wbns10tv.com (for the story). Jason Skaggs was his name. I remember a woman on trial for killing a mother and her 2 (maybe 3) daughter's. Was aired on CourtTV (live) a few years back. Alcohol 'involved'. She got 60 years. Was her 4th OMVI and not sure if other accidents involved deaths. This doesn't surprise me at all. Electing a new president won't change anything. We need a 'clean sweep' of our people in D.C. People killed by drunk drivers is nothing more than an accepted form of 'population control' or our laws would be more severe. Every night people drink in millions of bars in this country and drive home. You never read about the guy who was killed by the driver smoking pot. Forgive me for bringing this up but the penalties are harsher for marijuanna related offenses. Speaking from experience you can only get so 'high' yet we can drink until we blackout and not remember anything the next day (speaking from experience there too). Rapists get more jail time than murderers. How does that make sense. Andrew Luster got more than 100 years and he didn't kill anybody. Why should murderers get less time and often if they are young enough (like Sliwinski) still have a lot of their life ahead of them. The people running our government is is the problem otherwise we would be finding alternative fuels but then the oil companies would lose money and the government doesn't want that. Think about the guy paying .63 cents a gallon in Utah for propane in his Honda GX.
Left one thing out. The woman who got 60 years dog was in her car at the time of the accident and her first concer (she asked the officer at the scene) how her dog was instead of inquiring into the 'carnage' she was responsible for.
Not sure that I agree with comment about the rapist getting too much time. He could have killed people, maybe not physically, but ending their lives completely in other ways.
I went to grade school with Jeanette and we even carpooled together. She is not someone who was out to kill other people. She was always popular in school. Someone who was outgoing, pretty, nice and smart. Everyone deserves a second chance and I am glad she is getting hers. Before you judge someone else, put yourself in her shoes and imagine at 23...killing 3 people, making your family go through hell and having a record. I wish Jeanette the best and my prayers are with her family.
BMV
Whether Jeanette was popular, outgoing, nice, pretty or smart is besides the point, isn't it? The fact of the matter is that three people are dead from her actions. There are consequences for one's actions. Let's not be led to believe that this was an accident... she intentionally wrecklessly drove her car and killed three people. She need to be held accountable for her actions. I too am sorry for her family, but more importantly for the families of the persons that she KILLED - yes -- she KILLED them. She didn't just slap them but KILLED them. Does everyone deserve a second chance? The definition of deserve is to merit or be worthy of. Why don't the 3 dead people get a second chance? They are worthy of it having done nothing to this person.
I would be happy to petition, etc. if somone could point me in that direction.
I think it is ridiculous that the judge accepted her statement that she wasn't trying to hurt anyone else, just herself. If you deliberately drive your car into someone else's car at 90mph, what do you think will happen? If she didn't expect the people in the car she hit to die, then she wasn't mentally ill... she's mentally disabled. Even a child could figure out the consequences of such an action.
I'm sorry for her family and I'm sorry she was so obviously out of her mind that she decided to act the way she did. In doing so, she affected so many people in such a terrible way. Perhaps it was the drugs or a defect in her brain. Either way, she should be serving a life sentence in a mental institution until "cured" at which time she could serve the rest of it at the state facility.
And I think a petition to get her drivers license reinstated is perhaps the final, disgusting straw of the whole situation. Do they allow convicted murders who gun down their victims to have a gun license after they get paroled? She used her car as a weapon, and as such, she should never be allowed access to that kind of weapon again.
What's done is done. Let her be. God bless all involved and may the families of all find peace.
God bless all involved.
Thank you to the writer and Chicago Magazine for publishing an honest story that embraces the complexity of the situation. I only wish that this story never had to be written.
Having known John and spent time with him and Becky and their wonderful family of friends, I can only say that the world was a better place with him here. I imagine Doug and Michael's friends and family feel the same. My heart goes out to them.
Sharing our stories, I believe, is the only way we can grow and make sense out of this tragedy. I remember seeing an exhibit for this organization years ago (see link below) and thought I'd share it with all of you. Maybe it will help.
http://www.theforgivenessproject.com/stories/DebbieMcLeland
THis is unbelieveable...I worked with this girl...shared a hotel room with her, slept in the bed next to her...what if she "lost her mind " that night and decided to stab me to death...how scary...and they let this animal out in the world. Jeanette...I worked with you on some of the swimsuit shots in Chicago, and yo thought you were hot shit. You weren't then and you FOR SURE aren't now. I hope you ask for forgiveness when you go to bed everynight for the horrible thing you have done to those 3 men and their families...I hope you never sleep another peaceful night.
YO B
Bodeie - you are incorrect on the amount of time Skaggs got for his first 2 murders, he served 5, yes FIVE, months for killing two innocent people in 1994. He got out early because he wrote to the judge and told him that he wanted to get married and that jail was making that impossible for him. BOO HOO. He killed them the same way he killed the next 3, using his car. He has MURDERED 5 people in total. Jesus, this just makes me sick. And he doesn't care at all. His only comments to the media were that while he's sorry they died but that there wasn't anything he could do about it now and that he was just a regular guy trying to live a regular life. Yeah, lots of regular guys murder 5 people. Happens all the time...
To the people who think that everyone should just "move on" and let people, like Jeannette, live their lives, you are all dillusional. Will you be willing to do the time for her the next time she kills someone with her car?