Prosecutors Now Say Defendant in DUI Death Case Did Not Violate Bond Terms
Nicholas Sord's defense attorney will soon ask a judge for time to independently review DNA samples to provide his side of the crash that killed Jessica Mejia.
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Cook County prosecutors withdrew a claim on Tuesday that Nicholas Sord of Orland Park violated the terms of his bond, showing evidence instead that the reckless homicide defendant had a prescription for painkillers at the time of recent drug tests.
The opiates he recently tested positive for were prescribed by a doctor in November and December following hand surgeries involving pins to mend broken bones, said his attorney, Jeff Aprati.
Bryan Sord said his son fell on his left hand while exercising at Swallow Cliff in Palos Park.
Police said Sord was close to three times over the blood-alcohol limit on New Year’s Day 2010 when he lost control of his SUV near 147th Street and Oak Park Avenue, killing his 20-year-old girlfriend, Jessica Mejia, of New Lenox.
He was charged with reckless homicide and two counts of aggravated DUI and later released on a $200,000 bond that required random drug tests.
Sord returns to court on Feb. 16, when Aprati is expected to argue for an independent analysis of blood and hair samples collected from Sord’s car on the day of the crash.
Aprati contends Mejia interfered with Sord’s driving, causing the accident, and that the position of her blood and hair in the car will back up that claim.
The Mejia family is also suing Sord and various bar owners, as well as the Cook County Sheriff’s Office for allegedly disrobing Mejia in the snow, without medical justification, to take photographs of her injuries.
The first round of depositions with a sheriff’s deputy who took crime scene photographs was slated to begin Tuesday, according to Telly Nakos, an attorney for the family.
Updated Feb. 1
O.F.D.
5:16 pm on Tuesday, January 31, 2012
You know where the attorney is going with this...shameful. Hopefully the judge will see this for what it is, a DUI regardless of the situation - he still was driving drunk and caused her death.
Baba Wawa
11:52 pm on Tuesday, January 31, 2012
It's still being prosecuted as a DUI. Did you read the article? Where do you think the attorney is going with it? And with what?
lvent
3:16 am on Friday, July 27, 2012
Psst...Baba Wawa....tell your owners you blew your cover......You are way to protective of the judiciary to be anything other than a troll. Your attempts to cover up for crimes of the judiciary are obvious and despicable. Remember.....INTENT TO DECEIVE IS CRIMINAL....YOU COULD BE PROSECUTED UNDER THE RICO ACT 18 U.S.C..........IMHO.....BY LYING YOU ARE ENGAGING IN A CRIMINAL COVER UP TO ALLOW FRAUD TO CONTINUE........THAT LYING AND ENGAGING CONSTITUTES A CAUSE OF ACTION AND STATES A CLAIM....YOU ARE RACKETEERING ....THAT IS A PREDICATE ACT BY COMMITTING FRAUD TO ALLOW FRAUD TO CONTINUE.....THERE ONLY NEEDS TO BE 5 ELEMENTS PROVEN IN A CIVIL RICO ACTION......THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE WATCHING YOU.
RICO ACTION.... I AM WATCHING YOU.
Arthur Huff
11:19 am on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
I know exactly what you're saying Dave. Nobody has come out and actually said the words but clearly since the accident happened the defense has been implying that something was going on in the car that caused the crash.
Also, the family is suing the Cook County Sheriff's Police for allegedly taking pictures of the girl's naked body. So, why was she naked?
I am in no way saying that it was her fault. If you're driving and you're 3 times the legal limit then no matter happens it's going to be your fault, I'm just saying some people are being a little naive if they don't see where the defense is going with this.
Arthur Huff
12:43 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Interesting take Joe. Slightly insensitive but I guess we all are entitled to our opinion. Fact is though, when he got behind the wheel of the car and started driving he was responsible for what happened. The argument can be made that he was distracted, but we'll never know with absolute certainty what was going on in the car. Blood and hair might lead to a certain conclusion. But if I'm the prosecutor all I say to that is: "Ok, but who was driving the car? A man who had a blood alcohol content 3 times the legal limit. In short, he was wasted. He should have known better. He was driving, he was responsible." Even if her actions are what caused the crash, he basically forfeits that defense by being drunk.
Joe
12:49 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Completely agree Arthur. I think he is completely responsible. No matter what. I just think its talk irresponsible of her parents to suddenly get on a high horse when they had encouraged this behavior through their relationship. Instead of caring so much now, do some preventaTive maintenance before. But don't try and put blinders on by adding she if innocent in all of this, or try and make it seem like the cops disrobed her. That's just denying and trying to explain why she was naked without realizing what was really going on
Arthur Huff
12:52 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
I see your point now. Are the parents suggesting that the police took off her clothes? Or just that she was already nude and they took pictures?
Joe
1:01 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
That they took off her clothes with no reason to in plain public site. http://goo.gl/JKhWc link to the article
Carin
3:15 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
I have a question and please no one take this personally in any way. Why when a legal adult (someone over age 18) does stupid crap like this, their family gets sued? I understand suing the person who committed the crime, but I see a lot of cases where the criminals family gets sued. When does a person become responsible for themselves?
Susan White
4:55 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Article is wrong,His family is not getting sued.
Just about everyone else is though!
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Hungry *********
lvent
3:31 am on Friday, July 27, 2012
You Susan White, are a despicable human being to say the least, for insinuating these victims are money hungry. They have every right to sue anyone and everyone that may have contributed to the death of their daughter. If the Court finds these bar owners were reckless and negligent then they should pay for that. Any descent
human being knows money can never replace a loved one but if these bar owners are found to have contributed in any way to this girls death
contributed to this family's pain and they should feel some pain.
Ben Feldheim
7:01 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
We've since updated the article to reflect that Sord himself is being sued as well as owners of the bars he visited the night of the crash. We're still waiting for a copy of the complaint, but it appears one of the locations listed belongs to the family.
Ben Feldheim
7:41 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Folks, a few comments have been removed from this story involving a claim that the lawyer simply didn't make. You can "read between the lines" all you want and draw any personal conclusion you can, but that doesn't mean this is the place to express that opinion. Last I checked, none of you were in the car.
I once read a police report where a woman tried to jump out the open door of a moving car because the driver was swerving all over the road, and when the driver tried to pull her back in, they ran right off the road and she died. I am not saying this happened in this case, I'm just saying none of us know what actually happened, and it could be something other than what people think.
Lastly, I often try to send copies of the comments back to people in the emails provided for their users accounts, in case they want to repost without the parts that aren't acceptable here. If you don't get my email, then you shouldn't have used a faulty or fake one to set up your account. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions, and go to http://orlandpark.patch.com/terms for more details.
Francis
6:45 am on Sunday, February 5, 2012
The only facts we know are. He was over the legal limit while driving. A young girls was killed. He is responsible for her death. He knew how much he had to drink that night. I am just curious how the position of her blood and hair will show she interferred? She was killed in the wreck so I am sure her blood and hair would be all over the car. It is interesting and shameful how an attorney will grasp at anything to defend their client. I guess that is their job.
Baba Wawa
9:30 am on Sunday, February 5, 2012
Interesting, yes. Shameful? Not really. You are right -- it is a defense attorney's job to defend his client, no matter how heinous the crime, to ensure they get a fair trial. The Brown's Chicken killers had attorneys. John Wayne Gacy had attorneys. Sixth Amendment.
lvent
3:52 am on Friday, July 27, 2012
Welcome to Crook County.....! The place where if you have money and/or connections, you can buy your way into or out of anything. That's why our roads and infrastructure look like shit...and all of the policemen's and fireman's pension money and the Medicare money is "MISSING." The cronies used it as their own personal credit card and stole it all. Mayor Daley said there is going to have to be a huge property tax increase .......well into the billions by 2015, in order to pay for all of the
"MISSING" fireman's and policeman's pension money...EVERYONE PAYS FOR FRAUD SOONER OR LATER.
Mike
2:06 am on Friday, July 27, 2012
I played hockey with nick he's a good kid he just made the wrong choice this will all get settled in court so go on with your meaningless lives