COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — The Englewood driver who killed a 63-year-old pedestrian late Saturday had been drinking cognac, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Deshonnette Morrison, 21, had a blood-alcohol content of .105 when she fatally struck Leroy Torrence as he crossed the street in the 7100 block of South Ashland Avenue about 11:45 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.
The legal driving limit is .08.
Torrence and a witness had just left a nearby store when they tried to cross the road in the middle of the block, Assistant State's Attorney Joseph Carlson said during a bond hearing Tuesday.
Morrison passed several cars heading southbound on Ashland when she hit Torrence with the passenger side of her car — causing him to fly up in the air, prosecutors said.
Morrison, who has no prior criminal history, stayed on the scene until police arrived. Her car had "extensive damage" to the passenger side, Carlson said. Morrison told officers she was drinking cognac earlier in the evening.
Torrence was pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Medical Center at 12:22 a.m. Sunday, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.
Morrison, of the 6900 block of South Bell Avenue, is charged with aggravated DUI causing death.
Her public defender said Morrison is a high-school graduate who provides transportation for the elderly.
Cook County Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. on Tuesday said Morrison could be released on her own recognizance so long as she qualifies for electronic monitoring. If not, the judge said, bail will be set at $250,000.
