Driver charged with triple murder in crash
Woman allegedly had a death wish
By Brian Cox and Lolly Bowean, Chicago Tribune.
Three Chicago musicians who worked regular jobs by day and rocked at
night were killed when a young woman bent on ending her life barreled
into their car on a Skokie street, law enforcement officials said
Friday.
Jeanette Sliwinski, 23, has been charged with three counts of
first-degree murder after telling police investigating Thursday's
crash at Niles Center Road that she had been in a fight with her
mother and "wanted to end it all," authorities said.
Sliwinski, of the 8900 block of Parkside Street, Morton Grove, was
going at least 70 m.p.h. eastbound on Dempster Street and had run
three red lights when she rammed her 2000 Ford Mustang into the car
carrying the three co-workers who were out for lunch, authorities
said.
Killed were Michael Dahlquist, 39, of the 4800 block of South Ashland
Avenue; John Glick, 35, of the 2800 block of West Palmer Street; and
Douglas Meis, 29, of the 4500 block of North Lincoln Avenue, all in
Chicago. Condolences buzzed across music-related Web sites as
friends and fans shared the news. The men were in the prime of their
lives, and more concerned about touching people with their art than
making hit records, friends and relatives said.
"They were people who were so smart and brilliant and amazing," said
Rebecca Crawford, Glick's wife. "Everyone feels cheated that they
haven't been able to accomplish what they set out to do."
Dahlquist, who moved to Chicago from Washington state five years ago,
played drums for Silkworm, a band praised by critics for its
independence and eagerness to experiment.
Glick grew up in Boston and moved to Chicago six years ago. He was a
guitarist and singer with the Returnables. Meis played drums with
Glick's wife in a band called The Dials, described by Matt Priest, a
talent buyer, as "loud and noisy but super melodic and super poppy."
"Michael was friendly to an extreme. He was a very outgoing and upbeat
guy," said Tim Midgett,who played bass and guitar with him.
Without Dahlquist, the band is over, he said. "He can't be replaced."
By day, the three worked together at Shure Inc. in Niles, which
manufactures microphones and other audio electronic products, said
Paul Applebaum, company vice president.
The deaths "really devastated a lot of people here," Applebaum said.
"We are trying to make some sense of it ourselves. These people were
highly respected and well-liked around here."
Sliwinski, who is in fair condition at St. Francis Hospital in
Evanston, declined to be interviewed, hospital spokeswoman Christine
Rybicki said. Sliwinski also has been charged with two counts of
aggravated battery, authorities said.
People who answered the door at her Morton Grove home declined to
comment.
Skokie police said Sliwinski was not tested for alcohol or drugs.
Police did not say if she was wearing a seat belt at the time of the
crash.
The three men were stopped at a red light at about 12:20 p.m. when
their Honda Civic was rammed from behind, said Colleen Daly, Cook
County assistant state's attorney.
Daly said Sliwinski made no attempt to stop. Her car pushed the Honda
into the car in front of it, injuring two others, and a fourth vehicle
received minor damage, the prosecutor said.
The Honda and Ford went airborne and flipped over, with one of the
victims being ejected. The brakes in Sliwinski's car were functioning
properly, Daly said.
The Cook County medical examiner's office Friday ruled the deaths
homicides.
"She said she wanted to end it all when she ran into the back of the
car," Daly said.
Cook County Circuit Court Judge Consuela Bedoya ordered that Sliwinski
be held without bond Friday. She is under guard at the hospital.
Prosecutors may seek the death penalty, Daly said.
Cook County court records show Sliwinski pleaded guilty April 5, 1999,
to retail theft and was sentenced to community service. On Jan. 21,
2000, she pleaded guilty to consuming alcohol as a minor and paid a
$100 fine, records show.
Applebaum said grief counselors were helping Shure employees Friday.
"Some people who knew them had to leave work," said Applebaum, adding
that customers also were upset and offering sympathy.
"The remarkable thing is how many people said they knew these people
personally," he said.
Glick was a senior marketing specialist and had been with Shure since
June 2001. Dahlquist was a senior technical writer who started with
the company in October 2001. Meis started in December 1998 and was a
customer service specialist.
Crawford said she was still in shock over the deaths.
"The three of them created an enormous amount of laughter and
happiness in others lives," she said. "They had a certain exuberance
about life that is really hard to come by."
Woman allegedly had a death wish
By Brian Cox and Lolly Bowean, Chicago Tribune.
Three Chicago musicians who worked regular jobs by day and rocked at
night were killed when a young woman bent on ending her life barreled
into their car on a Skokie street, law enforcement officials said
Friday.
Jeanette Sliwinski, 23, has been charged with three counts of
first-degree murder after telling police investigating Thursday's
crash at Niles Center Road that she had been in a fight with her
mother and "wanted to end it all," authorities said.
Sliwinski, of the 8900 block of Parkside Street, Morton Grove, was
going at least 70 m.p.h. eastbound on Dempster Street and had run
three red lights when she rammed her 2000 Ford Mustang into the car
carrying the three co-workers who were out for lunch, authorities
said.
Killed were Michael Dahlquist, 39, of the 4800 block of South Ashland
Avenue; John Glick, 35, of the 2800 block of West Palmer Street; and
Douglas Meis, 29, of the 4500 block of North Lincoln Avenue, all in
Chicago. Condolences buzzed across music-related Web sites as
friends and fans shared the news. The men were in the prime of their
lives, and more concerned about touching people with their art than
making hit records, friends and relatives said.
"They were people who were so smart and brilliant and amazing," said
Rebecca Crawford, Glick's wife. "Everyone feels cheated that they
haven't been able to accomplish what they set out to do."
Dahlquist, who moved to Chicago from Washington state five years ago,
played drums for Silkworm, a band praised by critics for its
independence and eagerness to experiment.
Glick grew up in Boston and moved to Chicago six years ago. He was a
guitarist and singer with the Returnables. Meis played drums with
Glick's wife in a band called The Dials, described by Matt Priest, a
talent buyer, as "loud and noisy but super melodic and super poppy."
"Michael was friendly to an extreme. He was a very outgoing and upbeat
guy," said Tim Midgett,who played bass and guitar with him.
Without Dahlquist, the band is over, he said. "He can't be replaced."
By day, the three worked together at Shure Inc. in Niles, which
manufactures microphones and other audio electronic products, said
Paul Applebaum, company vice president.
The deaths "really devastated a lot of people here," Applebaum said.
"We are trying to make some sense of it ourselves. These people were
highly respected and well-liked around here."
Sliwinski, who is in fair condition at St. Francis Hospital in
Evanston, declined to be interviewed, hospital spokeswoman Christine
Rybicki said. Sliwinski also has been charged with two counts of
aggravated battery, authorities said.
People who answered the door at her Morton Grove home declined to
comment.
Skokie police said Sliwinski was not tested for alcohol or drugs.
Police did not say if she was wearing a seat belt at the time of the
crash.
The three men were stopped at a red light at about 12:20 p.m. when
their Honda Civic was rammed from behind, said Colleen Daly, Cook
County assistant state's attorney.
Daly said Sliwinski made no attempt to stop. Her car pushed the Honda
into the car in front of it, injuring two others, and a fourth vehicle
received minor damage, the prosecutor said.
The Honda and Ford went airborne and flipped over, with one of the
victims being ejected. The brakes in Sliwinski's car were functioning
properly, Daly said.
The Cook County medical examiner's office Friday ruled the deaths
homicides.
"She said she wanted to end it all when she ran into the back of the
car," Daly said.
Cook County Circuit Court Judge Consuela Bedoya ordered that Sliwinski
be held without bond Friday. She is under guard at the hospital.
Prosecutors may seek the death penalty, Daly said.
Cook County court records show Sliwinski pleaded guilty April 5, 1999,
to retail theft and was sentenced to community service. On Jan. 21,
2000, she pleaded guilty to consuming alcohol as a minor and paid a
$100 fine, records show.
Applebaum said grief counselors were helping Shure employees Friday.
"Some people who knew them had to leave work," said Applebaum, adding
that customers also were upset and offering sympathy.
"The remarkable thing is how many people said they knew these people
personally," he said.
Glick was a senior marketing specialist and had been with Shure since
June 2001. Dahlquist was a senior technical writer who started with
the company in October 2001. Meis started in December 1998 and was a
customer service specialist.
Crawford said she was still in shock over the deaths.
"The three of them created an enormous amount of laughter and
happiness in others lives," she said. "They had a certain exuberance
about life that is really hard to come by."
