A Brookfield man accused of killing two people when he allegedly ran them down in front of a Brookfield church a year ago may be trying to arrange a plea deal with Cook County prosecutors.
According to the daughter of the two elderly victims, Thomas J. Postulka, 46, will next be in court on Jan. 17 at the Maybrook courthouse. At that hearing, Postulka’s lawyer is expected to submit more evidence in the case, although he may change his plea if he can work out a deal that would reduce his sentence in exchange for the guilty plea. Postulka last April pleaded not guilty to two counts of reckless homicide and six counts of aggravated driving under the influence.
Lisa Lilly told the Landmark that Postulka’s case would “probably not go to trial,” and that the case could be wrapped up in mid-February if a plea deal is reached.
Postulka is accused of being drunk when he drove a car into Helen Lilly, 83, and Francis Lilly, 88, as they walked across the 4000 block of Prairie Avenue to an evening service at St. Barbara Church. Helen Lilly died at the scene, but Francis Lilly survived and underwent multiple surgeries before dying of his injuries in March 2007.
The Lillys were longtime members of St. Barbara Parish and had lived in the village for five decades.
Postulka reportedly fled the scene of the accident but was pulled over by an off-duty Chicago police officer who witnessed the incident. Since his arrest, Postulka has been at Cook County Jail in Chicago awaiting trial.
In August 2007, Lisa Lilly filed a civil lawsuit against Postulka and his brother, Andrew J. Postulka, seeking monetary damages for the deaths of her parents.
The suit included Andrew Postulka because he owned the vehicle Postulka was allegedly driving at the time of the accident. The reason that Postulka was not behind the wheel of his own car is that two days earlier, on Jan. 20, he reportedly crashed it into a light pole in North Riverside. That incident also resulted in Postulka being charged with DUI.
On Nov. 27, 2007, that suit was settled with the Lilly estate receiving a total of $500,000 in damages. According to Lilly’s attorney, Marion Morawicz, because Postulka was underinsured, the bulk of the settlement was paid out by the Lillys’ insurance carrier.
Lisa Lilly said that the settlement of the civil suit provided some sense of closure.
“It felt good that these things are winding up and hopefully the criminal case will end soon,” Lilly said. “It won’t bring my parents back, but I’d like to be able to grieve for them without so many other things to take care of.”
Meanwhile, Lisa Lilly is organizing a Jan. 19 concert to benefit the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists (AAIM), a not-for-profit group founded in 1982 by the families of victims killed by drunk drivers. In addition to lobbying lawmakers to find ways to help keep drunk drivers off Illinois roadways, AAIM provides a wide variety of services to the families of victims, including helping victims navigate the legal process.
The concert, which features folk singer Mark Dvorak and the musical group Thursday’s Child, starts at 7 p.m. at the St. Barbara Parish Center, 4015 Prairie Ave. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Call (312) 876-8088 for tickets.