A woman who said she “wanted to end it all” is accused of deliberately causing a high-speed crash that killed three Chicago rock musicians, authorities said.
Jeannette Sliwinski, 23, was charged with first-degree murder and was being held under guard at a hospital after she was denied bond Friday. Sliwinski, of Morton Grove, allegedly told investigators that she had been in a fight with her mother before the crash and wanted to take her own life.
“She said she wanted to end it all when she ran into the back of the car,” said Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Colleen Daly, adding that prosecutors might seek the death penalty.
Police said Sliwinski was driving at least 70 mph and had run three red lights when her car rammed the musicians’ car at an intersection in this northern Chicago suburb Thursday.
The victims were identified as Michael Dahlquist, 39, John Glick, 35, and Douglas Meis, 29, all of Chicago. Officers said the three were on their lunch break from their day jobs at an audio equipment manufacturer and were stopped at a red light when their car was struck from behind.
Skokie police said both cars were flipped over by the impact of the crash, and the musicians’ car struck another vehicle, causing two injuries.
Friends and family members said Friday that Dahlquist, who moved to Chicago from Washington state five years ago, was the drummer for a band called Silkworm. Glick, a Boston native, was a guitarist and singer with the Returnables, while Meis played drums with Glick’s wife, Rebecca Crawford, in a band called The Dials.
“They were people who were so smart and brilliant and amazing,” Crawford said. “Everyone feels cheated that they haven’t been able to accomplish what they set out to do.”
