From the State’s Attorney:
MCHENRY WOMAN SENTENCED TO FOURTEEN YEARS IN DUI CRASH THAT KILLED 24-YEAR-OLD MAN IN ISLAND LAKE
McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi L. Freese announces that on February 5, 2026, Christine S. Eilers, 51, of McHenry, Illinois was sentenced to fourteen years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the offenses of Leaving the Scene of an Accident-Causing Death and Aggravated Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol.
Eilers was sentenced by the Honorable Judge Tiffany Davis after entering a negotiated plea of guilty to both charges.
In the evening of September 27, 2024, Eilers was driving her Nissan Murano northbound on Roberts Road, in Island Lake, Illinois.
The twenty-four-year-old victim and a group of his friends were walking northbound on Roberts Road. Eilers struck the victim from behind, sending him over forty feet in the air and into a grassy easement alongside the road.
His friends called 911, while others attempted life-saving measures.
The victim suffered multiple skull fractures, and, despite the efforts of his friends, he ultimately succumbed to the injuries sustained from being struck by Eiler’s vehicle.
Eilers failed to stop her vehicle at the scene of the crash and instead, it was later determined, drove to a friend’s home in Lakemoor, Illinois.
Once at the home in Lakemoor, Eilers concealed her SUV in her friend’s garage and placed a tarp over it. The next day, September 28, 2024, Eilers filed a false insurance claim, alleging she struck a construction barrel in Rockford the day before.
Despite her efforts to conceal her car, it was eventually located by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office at the friend’s Lakemoor residence.
An inspection and search of the vehicle revealed heavy front-end damage, including a starred windshield and dented front hood.
Investigators also obtained GPS data from the car’s Infotainment system.
Further investigation revealed that Eilers had been drinking at two local area bars prior to striking and killing the victim.
Surveillance video from those bars revealed Eilers consuming at least 12 alcoholic beverages, including several alcoholic seltzers and tequila shots.
At the time Eilers got behind the wheel, her blood alcohol concentration (BAC) ranged between .24 g/dL and .37 g/dL.
For her actions, Eilers pleaded guilty to Leaving the Scene of an Accident-Causing Death and Aggravated Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol-Causing Death.
She was sentenced to seven years prison for the first charge and seven years prison on the second charge, sentences ordered to be served consecutively, for a total of fourteen years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Truth-in-Sentencing requires that Eilers serve
- a minimum of 50% of her prison sentence for the Leaving the Scene of an Accident offense and
- 85% of her prison sentence for Aggravated Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol offense.
Upon release from custody, Eilers will also be placed on Mandatory Supervised Release for a period of two years.
“This tragedy serves as another reminder that those that drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs destroy the lives of so many families in our community.
“This senseless and tragic death was entirely preventable.
“My office continues to remain committed to the prosecution of all those that drive under the influence and will continue to work tirelessly to seek justice for the victims and their families.” State’s Attorney Freese stated.
Freese also appreciates and acknowledges the investigative efforts and continued dedication of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, and on this case, specifically Sergeant Alan Sabol and the Major Crash Investigative Team.
This case was successfully prosecuted by McHenry County State’s Attorney Special Prosecutor William Bruce.
