Man 'Preyed' On Disabled Girlfriend: Heroin Overdose Case

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — A 33-year-old Crystal Lake man accused of providing the heroin and fentanyl that lead to the overdose death of his girlfriend, a woman who suffered from cystic fibrosis, has been sentenced to nine years in prison. Jeffrey J. Hauck was found guilty of drug-induced homicide during a bench trial in September, prosecutors said.

• Crystal Lake Man Guilty in Drug-Induced Homicide

Hauck and Stephanie Phillippi had been dating for three years at the time of her death this past March, the Northwest Herald reports. Phillippi had battled cystic fibrosis her whole life, using only Tylenol to control the pain until she was 18 years old, but was prescribed opioid painkillers after a double lung transplant, according to a victim impact statement provided by Phillippi's mother, Hope Koidahl. Hauck "preyed on Stephanie," delivering her heroin to her hospital room when she had a lung infection, according to the article.

Phillipi, 32, was found unresponsive on March 6 after ingesting heroin and fentanyl. Prosecutors said Hauck went to Chicago prior to her death where he purchased bags of heroin and fentanyl. He then brought the drugs back to Crystal Lake where he delivered the drugs to another person who passed it on to Phillipi, according to a news release from the state's attorney's office.

Kane Kellett, 34, of Crystal Lake, and Melissa R. Ohlson, 41, of Woodstock, are also both charged with drug-induced homicide in connection with the death. Ohlson is due back in court on Dec. 4 and Kellett is expected to be in court on Dec. 5.

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