Jeanette Sliwinski

Infobox Criminal
subject_name = Jeanette Sliwinski
date_of_birth = Birth date and age|1982|1|24|mf=y
place_of_birth = Chicago, Illinois
conviction = Reckless homicide
penalty = 8 years in prison; paroled on October 2, 2008
status = Paroled
occupation = Ex-model

Jeanette Sliwinski (born January 24, 1982) is a Chicago born model. On July 14, 2005 she was involved in a car crash which resulted in the death of 3 local musicians, in a failed suicide attempt. [ [http://www.nbc5.com/news/4729659/detail.html?z=dp&dpswid=2265994&dppid=65193 Police: Woman's Suicide Attempt Leaves 3 Dead] ]

Early life

Jeanette Sliwinski was born on January 24, 1982. she was a daughter of hard-working Polish immigrants. In school she was a shy and quiet girl who didn't connect with others. By the time she'd graduated high school in 2000 she began taking on modeling jobs to help finance her bachelor's degree in marketing. On the surface, Jeanette seemed confident, happy, and headed for success.

uicide attempt

Sliwinski's Ford Mustang took the lives of John Glick of The Returnables, Douglas Meis, of The Dials, and Michael Dahlquist of Silkworm when her car was going 90 mph. After the crash Jeanette had suffered a broken ankle and underwent surgery at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston before being transferred to the Cermak Health Services in the Cook County Jail. [ [http://www.nbc5.com/news/4747429/detail.html: Woman Accused In Fatal Crash Misses Court Date] ] She was later charged with three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated battery. [ [http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=5709349 abc7chicago.com: Trial begins for woman accused of killing 3 with her car (10/16/07)] ]

Trial

She pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and entered trial on October 15, 2007. Sliwinski was found not guilty of first degree murder but was convicted of a lesser charge of vehicular homicide. She was sentenced to eight years in prison, with the possibility of parole after 19 months of good behavior. Upon hearing of the results, members of all three bands who had lost members were quoted as saying that "words failed them". [Chicago Sun-Times: [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=11C574CE211C7C78&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM 'You don't understand. I want to be dead': ex-model] ]

Incarceration

Sliwinski is currently serving her sentence at Dwight Correctional Center, a maximum security woman's prison about 80 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. Two years after release from prison Jeanette will be eligible to petition for the return of her driver's license. [ [http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/August-2008/Collision-Course/index.php?cp=6&si=5 'Collision Course] ]

On August 10, 2008 Jeanette's life was profiled on the Oxygen television series "Snapped", which focuses on female criminals.

Release from prison

After serving less than half of her prison sentence Jeanette sliwinski was paroled on October 2, 2008 from the Lincoln Correctional Center. The lesser sentence is allowed by law and takes into consideration good behavior, time served while she awaited trial and the type of crime she was convicted of. Sliwinski's time in prison was reduced by a sentencing law that governs many Illinois crimes other than murder and routinely cuts sentences in half, turning her 8-year sentence into 4 years. She also got credit for roughly two years and four months spent in the Cook County Jail awaiting trial, plus six months off for good behavior. Another three months were trimmed because she received counseling in prison. Sliwinski has received death threats, forcing police to stand guard outside her family's Morton Grove home. The Illinois Department of corrections received the threats shortly before Sliwinski's release. [ [http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-sliwinski-24-sep24,0,7641351.story chicagotribune.com: Suicidal driver killed 3, will go free after 3 years] ] [ [http://chicagoist.com/2008/10/02/sliwinski_walks_free_today.php] ]

References