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A driver involved in the crash that killed two Judson University students in 2021 pleaded guilty Thursday to felony aggravated street racing.
Charges of reckless homicide were dropped in exchange for the plea by Kahleel Steele, 24, of the 900 block of Ridge Drive in DeKalb.
Steele entered a cold plea, meaning there is no agreement on a sentence. The prosecutor and Steele’s attorney are still negotiating the sentence. If they can’t agree, Kane County Judge John Barsanti will decide.
Steele, formerly of Carpentersville, faces one to 12 years in prison. He remains free on bond until his sentencing in April.
Assistant state’s attorney Katy Flannagan said that on April 20, 2021, Steele and a co-defendant, Trevon Morris, were racing northbound on State Street (Route 31).
Morris’ car, doing 91 mph in a 45 mph zone, hit a Pontiac sedan carrying four Judson University students. The Pontiac was turning left into the campus when the collision occurred.
The crash split the Pontiac, with the back half flying off over a guard rail and into a field.
Dallas Colburn, of Plano, and Nathanael Madison, of Pennsylvania, who were sitting in the back seat, were ejected.
Morris, 23, pleaded guilty in October to aggravated driving under the influence of cannabis -- causing death. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison in December. According to authorities, Morris had three times the legal limit of THC in his blood the night of the crash.
Colburn and Madison, both 22, were seniors studying architecture and were due to graduate that May from the university.
A third driver, 25-year-old Manny L. Pittenturf of Carpentersville, was charged with misdemeanor aggravated speeding and driving without a valid license. He was driving behind Morris and Steele when the crash occurred. His cases are ongoing.
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20230223/man-pleads-guilty-to-street-racing-that-caused-crash-that-killed-2-judson-university-students