Man Charged In Shorewood Woman's Death Posts Bail

SHOREWOOD, IL — Three days after being indicted on two felonies in connection with the June 4, 2020, death of Shorewood pedestrian Joni Hilger, 21-year-old Christian Rodriguez has been taken into custody, Shorewood Deputy Chief of Police Jason Barten told Patch.

Rodriguez, who lives in the 100 block of Catherine Street in Joliet, turned himself in at the Shorewood police station on Sunday. He posted 10 percent of his $50,000 bail at the time, so he can remain free while his felony case is pending at the Will County Courthouse.

Days earlier, a Will County grand jury indicted Rodriguez on charges of reckless conduct and aggravated use of an electronic communication device, related to the Shorewood's woman death as she was out for a late morning walk on June 4, 2020. Barten told Patch last week that Hilger died while she was crossing Black Road.

Also in January, Will County Judge Roger Rickmon ordered Rodriguez to pay $2 million to the family of Joni Hilger.

In 2020, Joliet attorney Frank Cservenyak filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Rodriguez on behalf of Thomas Hilger and other surviving family members of Joni Hilger.

On Friday, Patch asked Cservenyak whether he expects to collect the $2 million judgment against Rodriguez, who was 19 years old at the time of the crash on Black Road.

"If he ever gets a job and a house, he has to deal with me," Cservenyak told Patch.

Related Patch coverage:

Shorewood Crash Victim's Family Awarded $2M By Judge

Shorewood Woman's Crash Death Prompts Criminal Charges