'God Has A Plan' For Repeat Drunk Driver, Christensen Insists

JOLIET, IL — Wearing a gray suit, 51-year-old Wilmington resident Erik Christensen approached the podium Wednesday afternoon to talk about God's plan for his life as his fate was in the hands of Will County Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak in Courtroom 502.

Will County's longest serving judge had to sentence the four-time drunken driver for taking the life of 33-year-old Nick Ercolini. The young man, who lived with his wife Carly and their 6-year-old daughter near Streator, died near Wilmington on the night of Nov. 22, 2020.

After several hours of testimony, the judge sentenced Christensen to nine years in prison, which must be served at 85 percent. In all likelihood, Christensen, who is about to turn 52, will serve at the Department of Corrections for six full years, the prosecutor explained.

Under Wednesday's plea bargain, Christensen pleaded guilty to aggravated DUI causing a death and also driving while his license was revoked or suspended.

The sentencing range for Christensen was between three years to 14 years in prison for his late Sunday night wrong way crash on Interstate 55 that took the life of the 33-year-old union mechanic who died on his way to work.

The judge also had the discretion of sentencing Christensen to probation.

Before Christensen addressed his sentencing judge, his girlfriend of the past five years took the witness stand to tell the judge how Christensen is a caring, warm, kind and gentle man.

Christensen is the only person who can properly care for her 97-year-old father, who is bedridden and suffers from dementia, she told the courtroom.

She also told the judge how Christensen cared for her when she injured her foot and had a stalker in her life. "I've never had anybody like him before," she told Judge Bertani-Tomczak. "He's an amazing son for how he helps his mother ... he's a kind, gentle soul."

During the past three years, "he has changed since this accident. He never smiles or laughs," his girlfriend testified. She asked the judge to show her boyfriend mercy at sentencing.

In addition, Joliet criminal defense attorney Steven Haney, who specializes in DUI cases, presented Bertani-Tomczak with 19 separate good character reference letters from friends and supporters of Christensen. "He's a good person who got controlled by alcohol addiction," Haney argued at sentencing. "Erik will get on with his life one way or the other. It is probationable. I realize that is a long shot."

As for her 97-year-old father with dementia, Christensen's girlfriend told the judge that she is worried what will happen to him if Christensen draws a long prison term that keeps him away from them. "I don't know what we're going to do," she said of her 97-year-old dad. "He needs constant care. We don't have the money to put him in a facility with 24-hour care."

Assistant State's Attorney Christine Vukmir noted that under the SAFE-T-ACT, Christensen must get credit for the 39 days he has spent in jail over these past three years, plus another 617 days that he spent placed under home confinement as he awaited trial.

Vukmir said that Christensen had two prior DUIs, in Wisconsin's Racine County, in 1997 and 1999, and another one from 2013 in DuPage County prior to the fatal wreck he caused three years ago.

"The defendant has been no stranger to the criminal justice system," Vukmir told the judge.

She also explained that minutes prior to causing the wrong way head-on collision killing Ercolini, Christensen had collided with a tree and a sign, before continuing on, heading the wrong way in traffic on I-55. Vukmir asked for a long prison term for Christensen, even though "it's not ever going to make up for the loss that this family has had."

After Christensen limped to the podium in the front of Bertani-Tomczak 's courtroom, he talked for several minutes. He explained how he had been sober for a few years leading up to his Sunday night decision to consume alcohol at the Wilmington bar. He claimed that he had just settled the estate for a late relative and that there had been nasty turmoil within the family during that ordeal. On top of that, he said there was the death anniversary of one of his closest friends.

Christensen said he also should have fallen back on his Alcoholics Anonymous recovery program, realizing that having a first drink is worse than having a last drink. He said he thought he would only go to the bar to have one drink, but while he was there, everybody started buying him rounds of drinks. Christensen also told the judge that he comes from a long line of alcoholics in his family, and he acknowledged that his alcoholism "is a disease."

"I believe God has a plan," he said, adding that he is the type of person who refuses to even kill an insect or a bug. He said he cannot believe he took someone's life. "Why did God let this happen?" he asked the courtroom. "Maybe I can help (other) people from despair like I caused."

As for the more than two dozen family and friends of Ercolini seated in the courtroom, "I don't expect any of them to ever forgive me," he announced.

He then referred back to his schooling years, his time as a youngster growing up.

"No one ever says they want to be an alcoholic when the teacher asks what they want to be," Christensen remarked.

Vukmir revealed that Christensen was three times the legal limit for drunken driving in Illinois at the time of the fatal wrong-way crash on I-55.

"I just can't believe how incredibly stupid I was," Christensen told Judge Bertani-Tomczak.

Then, Christensen turned his attention back to himself. He told the courtroom how he has undergone about a dozen surgeries these past three years, after he posted bond and was released from jail. "This tragedy took place over 35 months ago, and I never recovered fully," he said.

Haney, the defense lawyer, said it was only through miraculous modern medical technology that doctors managed to save his client's left leg from being amputated following the wreck.

Meanwhile, Christensen's mother, who is in a wheelchair, was in court to watch her son get sentenced. "I won't be able to attend her funeral," Christensen predicted. "I have no one to blame but myself. I'm not a cold and uncaring person."

Once he serves his entire prison sentence, Christensen said he hopes he can work closely with the Mothers Against Drunk Driving organization.

"I am truly sorry, Carly. I am truly sorry, Ryan," he said, directing his comments to Ercolini's widow and their 9-year-old daughter, who were seated in the courtroom.

In reaching her sentence of nine years of prison, Judge Bertani-Tomczak noted that this was Christensen's first felony, but he does have multiple prior DUIs. She also noted that he had a breath alcohol ignition interlock device on his vehicle, yet Christensen chose to drive his adult daughter's car on the night of the deadly crash.

More Joliet Patch coverage from sentencing:

DUI Victim's Ashes Brought To Sentencing For Wilmington Man