Seventy-three-year-old Willie Mosely of Maywood, Illinois, was just trying to help.
Mosley and another man were transporting a refrigerator in the back of their pickup truck in March 2022 when it accidentally fell out the back on Eola Road in Aurora. Mosley and another man got out to put it back in the truck, along with the assistance of a good Samaritan who had stopped to help, when, a vehicle driven by an intoxicated man, Nicholas Roepke of Geneva, crashed into him, pinning him against the truck and injuring the other two men.
Mosley was pronounced dead at a local hospital shortly thereafter.
The man traveling with Mosley sustained minor injuries and refused medical treatment. The man who pulled over to assist was taken to a hospital for medical attention and remains in rehabilitation.
Roepke was transported to a local hospital for medical attention to minor injuries and was subsequently released to the Aurora Police Department. It is alleged that his BAC was .214 shortly after the crash.
On Wednesday, Roepke pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of aggravated DUI causing death and one count of aggravated DUI causing great bodily harm. He faces a potential 14 years in prison.
“Just over one year ago, Willie Mosley’s life came to a violent, abrupt end simply because Mr. Roepke, with a stunning disregard for not only his own personal safety but also the safety of innocent others, got behind the wheel after he had been drinking,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a press release. “Driving is a privilege, not a right. It is a privilege and a responsibility that if not respected, can lead to tragic, irreversible outcomes, as we saw in this case,”
Roepke’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 2.
