61 Felony DUI Charges Filed in Fatal Crash Near Palos Hills

A Justice man pleaded not guilty to an indictment that now includes 61 counts of aggravated DUI and one count of reckless homicide.

Sam Cafi, 28, of the 8300 block of South 79th Street was following a rollover accident at 95th Street and LaGrange Road, near Palos Hills, that killed one man and sent three others to Christ Hospital in critical condition.

Cook County Sheriff’s Police said Cafi was speeding down 95th Street when he crashed into a vehicle traveling southbound on LaGrange Road. 

Ryan Osowski, 28, of the 7500 block of Farmingdale Drive in Darien was ejected from the car and later died from his injuries.

Two passengers in Cafi’s car, as well as the driver of the car Cafi hit, were transported to the hospital, according to a county news release.

Witnesses at the scene told police that Cafi had been drinking at a bar with the other occupants of the vehicle, and he subsequently failed field sobriety and breath tests, the release reads.

If convicted, Cafi will face 1 to 12 years in jail for each charge of aggravated DUI. Reckless homicide is a Class 3 felony in Illinois, carrying a maximum penalty of 5 years in jail.

Cafi appeared in court Thursday, free on a $1 million bond of which he posted $100,000. He and his attorney, Michael Gillespie, declined to make any immediate comments.

Also present was Osowski’s brother, Robert, who he said he wants to be involved in the court process and noted it was too much for his mother to attend. He said he harbors mixed feelings about condemning the man who may have unintentionally killed his brother, but, "(Cafi) didn't need to be speeding. It's just terrible."

As pretrial investigations got under way, Judge John Hynes signed orders allowing prosecutors to petition medical and EMS records of the individuals involved in the accident.

Court hearings continue on May 22.