Steger Man Gets 9 1/2 Years in Fatal DUI Crash That Killed Boy

Joliet, Ill. - A south suburban man whose drunken crash killed his girlfriend’s 5-year-old son was sentenced in Will County Court on Friday to 9-1/2 years in prison, Sun-Times Media is reporting.

Cecil Conner, 24, of Steger, had faced up to 14 years after being convicted in February of two counts of aggravated DUI for causing the May 10, 2010, crash on Steger Road near Carpenter Street in Steger.

Michael Langford Jr., 5, was killed after Conner slammed the red Chevrolet Cavalier into a tree, through a fence and into another tree, uprooting it. Conner’s blood alcohol level was later found to be 0.208.

Conner admitted from the witness stand during his trial he was “pretty drunk” after a weekend of partying at his cousin’s house when he took the wheel of the Cavalier. The child who died, he said, was like his own son.

But in an unusual defense, he swore he was following the orders of the police officer who arrested his designated driver and girlfriend, Kathie LaFond, on a suspended license, setting a terrible train of events in motion.

The sentencing, which briefly began in May, has been delayed while Conner has been trying to secure a new trial. His attorney, Jeff Tomczak, has been arguing that Conner’s recorded phone calls from the jail should have been disclosed before his trial — especially conversations between Conner and LaFond. Prosecutors said they didn’t know the recordings existed since the Will County Sheriff manages the jail. The issue went up to the Illinois Supreme Court, which determined that the recordings should not be released.

With that, trial Judge Edward Burmila finally denied Conner a new trial on Jan. 11.

In May 2011, the child’s father, who lives out of state, came to town to ask the judge for a stiff prison sentence.

Michael Langford Sr. also told the judge he might eventually forgive Cecil Conner for the loss of his son.

“But (Conner’s) thoughtless and severely careless actions make it extremely hard for me to do,” Langford said.

Michael’s grandparents, Bill and Dawn Tripamer, also told the judge that day in a statement that Conner never thought about the safety or well being of the child in the back seat of the car.

“If he had, Michael Jr. would still be here,” they said. “We believe he must face the consequences of his actions — a lesson, surely, we all have been taught by our parents and teach our kids today.”

A lawsuit against Conner, Chicago Heights police and the officer who made the original traffic stop still is pending in Cook County Circuit Court.