Man Gets 8 Years in Fatal DUI Crash In St. Charles Township

A 21-year-old Geneva man will spend eight years in prison for driving drunk in October 2017 and causing a crash that killed a 19-year-old Geneva man, prosecutors said. Raphael P. Peruzza, of the 2000 block of Eldorado Drive in Geneva, entered a guilty plea last month to a charge of aggravated DUI causing death, which is a Class 2 felony, and was sentenced Friday to prison as part of a plea deal.

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The charge stems from the one-vehicle collision on Oct. 6, 2017, that killed Nicholas Hanson, according to a news release from the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Hanson was riding as a front seat passenger at about 2:20 a.m. when Peruzza drove a black Jeep off of Burr Road in unincorporated St. Charles Township and into a group of trees, according to the new release. Authorities said the vehicle, which was headed south on Burr Road at a high rate of speed, went airborne after leaving the roadway.

Following the crash, Peruzza got out of the car, which started on fire, leaving Hanson behind, according to prosecutors. An investigation revealed Peruzza's blood-alcohol concentration was more than 0.08 percent.

Peruzza, of the 2000 block of Eldorado Drive in Geneva, admitted to police he had been drinking alcohol just before driving, according to prosecutors.

According to Illinois law, Peruzza must serve at least 85 percent of his eight-year sentence. Peruzza had been free on a signature bond since he was charged.

“Nicholas Hanson’s death, like every death caused by a drunken driver, was completely preventable,” Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon said. “This defendant made irresponsible and life-changing decisions to engage in criminal behavior when he chose to drink alcohol to a point of impairment and then drive, leading to a horrific and fatal crash.”

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PHOTO VIA THE KANE COUNTY STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE