A motion was granted Dec. 23 to deny pretrial release for a Wood Dale man accused of crashing his vehicle while intoxicated and killing his stepdaughter Jaylene Escamilla.
Juan Moxthe, 45, appeared at First Appearance Court charged with one count of aggravated DUI causing death, authorities said.
About 2:15 a.m. Dec. 17, Chicago police responded to a call of a single-vehicle crash at 12107 Irving Park Road near O’Hare International Airport. Upon their arrival, police found ambulances and fire trucks already at the scene. Escamilla was pronounced dead at the scene. Moxthe was taken to a local hospital for medical attention, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.
After an investigation into the crash, it is alleged that Moxthe, his wife, Escamilla and her husband were traveling on Irving Park Road when Moxthe lost control of the vehicle and struck a guard rail, causing the vehicle to flip. Moxthe’s blood-alcohol content allegedly was 0.12 about two hours after the crash. On Dec. 22, Moxthe was released from the hospital and transported to the DuPage County jail, according to the release.
“Like all alleged DUI cases, the case against Mr. Moxthe was 100% avoidable,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “As I have said many times before, if you have been drinking, do not get behind the wheel of a car. Call a friend, a cab or use a ride-sharing service to make sure you and your passengers get home safely. I offer my sincerest condolences to Jaylene’s family and friends and wish them strength as they adjust to their new reality of life without Jaylene.”
Moxthe’s next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 8 for arraignment.