Crystal Lake man sentenced to prison for drug-induced homicide

A 33-year-old Crystal Lake man was sentenced to prison Wednesday in connection with a McHenry man’s 2017 overdose death.

McHenry County Judge Robert Wilbrandt sentenced Keith L. Lang to 10 years in prison for selling the heroin that killed 23-year-old McHenry man, Scott T. Koivisto.

Jurors in August found Lang, of the 600 block of Savannah Lane, guilty of a single count of drug-induced homicide and acquitted him of two additional counts of the same charge.

At the time, the jury had the option of finding Lang guilty of a lesser charge, delivery of a controlled substance, which typically carries a sentencing range of three to seven years in prison compared with the six to 30 years in prison possible when convicted of drug-induced homicide.

McHenry County sheriff’s deputies arrested Lang in June 2018 in connection with Koivisto’s death. The man died on Sept. 22, 2017, from a fatal dose of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, officials have said.

At trial, investigators used cellphone data to show that Lang met with another woman, 25-year-old Elizabeth Long, to sell heroin the day before Koivisto’s death. Long then gave a portion of that heroin to Koivisto, who fatally overdosed, prosecutors said.

Long was sentenced in November 2018 to six years in prison for heroin delivery. She was released on parole on March 30 and is expected to complete her sentence in 2022, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

On Wednesday, Koivisto’s family submitted written statements explaining how the 23-year-old’s death has affected their lives. Those letters were not read aloud in court, however.

Those who knew Koivisto have described him as someone with “a big heart,” who loved his family and had a passion for drawing, photography and videography, according to his obituary.

Lang is required to serve 75% of his prison term in accordance with Illinois truth-in-sentencing guidelines. He also is in the process of serving an eight-year sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm in connection with a separate McHenry County case and a six-year sentence for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance out of Kane County, records show. He must serve each sentence individually.

Lang remained at the McHenry County Jail Wednesday afternoon awaiting transportation to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

His attorneys could not be reached for comment Wednesday evening.