Jeanette Sliwinski
Encyclopedia
Jeanette Sliwinski is a Chicago-born model. On July 14, 2005, according to sworn testimony, she attempted suicide while driving, causing a crash that resulted in the deaths of three local musicians.
. After graduating from high school she began taking on modeling jobs to help finance her bachelor's degree
in marketing
. After high school she took a career as a local print model in which her pictures ended up in calendars and lingerie ads. With the money she earned modeling, she bought a new Ford Mustang
. In 2002 she had a boyfriend with whom she moved to Los Angeles
, where she pursued her career to become a model for big companies like Vogue
. But instead she ended up as a trade show model.
out in an alleged attempt to take her own life by speeding down Dempster Street in Skokie, Illinois
. Instead she took the lives of John Glick of The Returnables, Douglas Meis of The Dials and EXO, and Michael Dahlquist
of Silkworm
when her car was going nearly 90 mph, ran three red lights and hit their car at an intersection. Both vehicles were flipped over. The first calls to Skokie 911 came in about 12:15 pm. Before Meis died, he and Sliwinski were both taken to the hospital in ambulances. Police wanted to interview Meis before going into emergency surgery, but police were too late when Meis died 10 minutes later from multiple injuries. When police interviewed Sliwinski, asking if she purposely drove into the car or not, she repeatedly changed her story. At 5:30 P.M. on the afternoon of July 15 Skokie police officers walked into Sliwinski's hospital room and arrested her. 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. She was later charged with three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated battery
.
. 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". Sliwinski had served her sentence at Dwight Correctional Center
, a maximum security woman's prison about 80 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. Prison officials secretly transferred Sliwinski from the Dwight Correctional Center, to the Lincoln Correctional Center near Springfield, Illinois
for her protection.
for a year until October 2, 2009. She could have her driver's license reinstated as early as 2010.
television series Snapped
, which focuses on female criminals. The show did not contain any statements from Sliwinski or her family.
Early life
Jeanette Sliwinski was born on January 24, 1982, a daughter of Polish immigrants. She attended Niles West High SchoolNiles West High School
Niles West High School, or NWHS, is a public four-year high school located in Skokie, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in the United States. It is part of Niles Township Community High School District 219, which also includes Niles North High School. Its school teams were originally the Indians, but...
. After graduating from high school she began taking on modeling jobs to help finance her bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
. After high school she took a career as a local print model in which her pictures ended up in calendars and lingerie ads. With the money she earned modeling, she bought a new Ford Mustang
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A...
. In 2002 she had a boyfriend with whom she moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, where she pursued her career to become a model for big companies like Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
. But instead she ended up as a trade show model.
Murder Charge
On July 14, 2005 after a fight with her mother, Sliwinski burst out the door and took her Ford MustangFord Mustang
The Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A...
out in an alleged attempt to take her own life by speeding down Dempster Street in Skokie, Illinois
Skokie, Illinois
Skokie is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Its name comes from a Native American word for "fire". A Chicago suburb, for many years Skokie promoted itself as "The World's Largest Village". Its population, per the 2000 census, was 63,348...
. Instead she took the lives of John Glick of The Returnables, Douglas Meis of The Dials and EXO, and Michael Dahlquist
Michael Dahlquist
Michael Dahlquist was a drummer in the Seattle band Silkworm.-Early years:Dahlquist was born at Swedish Hospital in Seattle, Washington. He spent his childhood in Bothell, a nearby town, and many vacations were spent at his grandmother's ranch in Livingston, Montana...
of Silkworm
Silkworm (band)
Silkworm was an indie rock band active from 1987 to 2005.The members were Tim Midgett, Joel RL Phelps, Andy Cohen, and Michael Dahlquist. Phelps left the band in 1994. Matt Kadane of Bedhead and The New Year played keyboards on Italian Platinum and It'll Be Cool...
when her car was going nearly 90 mph, ran three red lights and hit their car at an intersection. Both vehicles were flipped over. The first calls to Skokie 911 came in about 12:15 pm. Before Meis died, he and Sliwinski were both taken to the hospital in ambulances. Police wanted to interview Meis before going into emergency surgery, but police were too late when Meis died 10 minutes later from multiple injuries. When police interviewed Sliwinski, asking if she purposely drove into the car or not, she repeatedly changed her story. At 5:30 P.M. on the afternoon of July 15 Skokie police officers walked into Sliwinski's hospital room and arrested her. 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
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
Jail. She was later charged with three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated battery
Aggravated battery
Aggravated battery in criminal law is a more serious form of battery, and is considered a felony. Aggravated battery can be punished by a fine or more than a year in prison in some countries...
.
Trial and imprisonment
She pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and entered trial on October 15, 2007. To prove that Jeanette was mentally ill, her attorneys showed records that she had been admitted to a Chicago psychiatric hospital only two weeks before the crash and she had been released after only one day. Sliwinski was found not guilty of first degree murder but was convicted of a lesser charge of reckless homicideVehicular homicide
Vehicular homicide in most states in the United States, is a crime. In general, it involves death that results from the negligent operation of a vehicle, or more so a result from driving while committing an unlawful act that does not amount to a felony...
. 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". Sliwinski had served her sentence at Dwight Correctional Center
Dwight Correctional Center
Dwight Correctional Center is an Illinois Department of Corrections maximum security prison for adult females. It is located at 23813 E. 3200 North Road in Nevada Township, unincorporated Livingston County, Illinois, near Dwight...
, a maximum security woman's prison about 80 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. Prison officials secretly transferred Sliwinski from the Dwight Correctional Center, to the Lincoln Correctional Center near Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
for her protection.
Release from prison
After serving less than half of her prison sentence Jeanette Sliwinski was paroled on the morning of October 2, 2008 from the Lincoln Correctional Center. Sliwinski's time in prison was reduced by a sentencing law that governs many Illinois crimes other than murder and can cut sentences in half, turning her 8-year sentence into 4 years. She also received credit for roughly two years and four months spent in the Cook County Jail awaiting trial, six months off for good behavior, and three months off for counseling received while in prison. Sliwinski had shortly received death threats. As a result, police stood guard outside her family's home in Morton Grove. The Illinois Department of Corrections received the threats shortly before Sliwinski's release. Sliwinski was on probationProbation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
for a year until October 2, 2009. She could have her driver's license reinstated as early as 2010.
TV shows
On August 10, 2008, Jeanette's life appeared on the OxygenOxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
television series Snapped
Snapped
Snapped is an American true crime television series that airs on the Oxygen Network. Snapped debuted on August 6, 2004 and is produced in conjunction with Jupiter Entertainment.-Synopsis:...
, which focuses on female criminals. The show did not contain any statements from Sliwinski or her family.