Woodstock woman pleads guilty to DUI in crash that killed sister, gets 6 years in prison

A Woodstock woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to driving drunk before a crash that killed her sister, and she was sentenced to six years in prison.

Yaraldy Avilez Estrada, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol causing a crash that involved a death, a Class 2 felony, according to the judgment order filed in McHenry County court.

She is required to serve 85% of her prison time followed by two years of mandatory supervised release, according to the order. She will be given credit for 288 days spent in the county jail since her arrest May 17, plus an additional 20 days for time spent working, volunteering or participating in a self-improvement program, according to the order.

In exchange for her plea, additional charges of aggravated DUI were dismissed, records show.

At 10:45 a.m. May 15, the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District and the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of Dean Street and Gayle Drive near Woodstock for a reported crash with entrapment and a second person who had been ejected from the vehicle, Woodstock Fire/Rescue District spokesman Alex Vucha said at the time of the crash.

Avilez Estrada’s sister, Belan Estrada, 29, of Woodstock, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the vehicle and died later at the hospital. The Lake County coroner said she died of blunt force injuries due to the crash.

Authorities said Avilez Estrada was driving a 2003 Toyota Corolla south on Dean Street, north of Gayle Drive, when the vehicle went off the left side of the road, then careened back onto Dean Street, crossed into the northbound lanes, left the road again to the west and crossed over Gayle Drive. The vehicle entered a yard at the southwest corner of the intersection before rolling over, striking a tree and coming to rest on its hood.

Avilez Estrada, who was wearing a seat belt, had to be extricated from the heavily damaged vehicle.

A GoFundMe was created to assist Estrada’s family with funeral costs. The online fundraiser raised $7,450 of a $10,000 goal. Estrada is remembered as a daughter, sister and mother to two young children, according to the GoFundMe page.

At a hearing in which Avilez Estrada asked for pretrial release to attend her sister’s funeral, Judge Mark Gerhardt denied the request, saying he did not trust her. He noted that a month before the fatal crash, she was convicted of misdemeanor DUI and failed to appear in court on that conviction. In both DUIs, the judge noted that Avilez Estrada had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.199, more than twice the legal limit.

Assistant State’s Attorney Justin Neubauer had objected to her release, informing the judge that her sister had died in the crash and that he expected charges against Avilez Estrada would “be enhanced.” He also noted that on April 16, weeks before the crash, Avilez Estrada was convicted of a misdemeanor DUI and given one year of supervision.

When convicted in that case, she was “assessed as a high risk, requiring 75 hours of substance abuse treatment,” according to the order detaining her.

Assistant Public Defender Kim Messer said Avilez Estrada could be fitted with an ankle monitor if the judge allowed her to go to the funeral services.

In denying her request, Gebhardt noted Avilez Estrada’s misdemeanor DUI conviction about a month before, her failure to appear to court in the past and the current case in which her sister died.

“I don’t trust you,” Gebhardt said. “Your request is denied.”