Crime & Safety

Victim's Mother: 'My Life Ended' When Daughter Died

Reckless homicide sentencing delayed after prosecutors ask judge to consider Facebook posts.

A Romeoville family will have to wait another month to learn the fate of the man found guilty of reckless homicide in the 2008 death of 17-year-old Christina Jungkans.

Tomasz Maciaszek, 24, of Romeoville, was scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday in the May 9, 2008, crash that killed Jungkans, a junior. But a judge agreed to push the sentencing back until January to give his attorneys time to review Facebook postings that prosecutors say refute Maciaszek's claims of remorse.

During his , witnesses testified that Maciaszek was driving between 68 and 79 mph in a 35-mph speed zone when he struck Jungkans’ car as she attempted to make a left turn onto 135th Street from Hale Avenue.

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Will County State’s Attorney Dan Walsh submitted several pages of comments printed from Facebook, asking Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak to consider them before sentencing Maciaszek. Walsh did not offer details on what the comments said, but noted that they were posted on a profile belonging to the Romeoville man.

“I’m living with my actions every day,” Maciaszek told Bertani-Tomczak, adding he suffered from depression and nightmares following the fatal accident, "secluding" himself at home and ultimately losing his job. “I realize that I do not have anyone to blame but myself and at times I find it too difficult to bear. … I stand here before Christina’s family, my family, not asking for forgiveness but stating that I am only human,” he added before apologizing directly to Jungkans’ family.

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“I accept full responsibility for my behavior,” Maciaszek said. “I give you my sincere apology. I’m sorry.”

Maciaszek’s attorneys asked for more time to review the Facebook posts, which they received Tuesday morning, despite Walsh’s acknowledgement that he printed the pages several weeks ago.

As of Tuesday afternoon, no posts dated before Dec. 8 appeared on a Facebook page apparently belonging to Maciaszek. In several posts, Maciaszek makes references to attending parties and get-togethers with friends. 

‘I miss her more every day’

The judge also listened to victim impact statements made by Jungkans’ mother, Marie Pouk of Romeoville, and grandmother, Bernice DiCharia.

Since her daughter’s death, Pouk said she has suffered from anxiety and emotional problems.

“Every day I have is as painful as the day I was told my daughter was no longer with me,” Pouk told the court.

“Parents are not supposed to outlive their children,” she said. “Parents are supposed to nurture and protect them.

“Every breath I take is a reminder of the breath that Christina will not take. She will never marry. I will never know the joy of holding her child for the first time.”

The tragedy left her unable to perform in her job, Pouk said, and affected her ability to care for her husband as he battled terminal cancer.

“I am an empty shell,” Pouk said. “My life ended the day Christina’s life ended. … I can’t imagine how many lives she would have touched and impacted had she lived.”

DiCharia described a girl whose “smile and personality lit up all who were around her.”

“Christina and I had a special bond,” said DiCharia, who often cared for her young granddaughter while her daughter worked. “I continue to miss her more every day. All I have to hold on to now are the memories of times with Christina.” 

New sentencing date

Citing Maciaszek’s prior record, which includes a speeding ticket conviction and court supervision for failure to exchange information with another driver after a previous accident, Walsh urged the judge to sentence Maciaszek to serve time in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Walsh said one witness testified that on the day of the crash, Maciaszek was upset about the damage to his car, rather than the injuries suffered by Jungkans, who was pronounced dead at Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital.

“I think that speaks volumes about the defendant’s character,” Walsh said.

Maciaszek's attorney Ted Hammel asked Bertani-Tomczak to sentence his client to time in the Will County Adult Detention Facility instead of prison, noting that Maciaszek has no prior felony convictions and has served more than 200 hours of community service since his March 2009 arrest.

Maciaszek’s new sentencing date is set for Jan. 18, 2012.


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