Woman gets 14 years for drunken argument with new husband that led to crash which killed Brent Nelson in 2015

Jeff Mayes — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 12:05:10 -0500

By RUMMANA HUSSAIN and JORDAN OWEN
Chicago Sun-Times

Shikita Woods | Illinois Dept. of Corrections

A woman who rammed her husband’s car, causing a crash that killed newspaper deliveryman Brent Nelson nearly two years ago on the South Side, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Shikita Woods, 35, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of aggravated DUI in an accident causing death before Judge Diane Cannon, according to Cook County court records. Charges of first-degree murder and reckless homicide were dropped in exchange for the guilty plea.

Woods and her husband got into a drunken fight on the morning of April 12, 2015. Prosecutors said Woods was angry at her husband for moving out of their house after just three days of marriage and possibly fathering another woman’s child.

Her husband jumped into her cousin’s car and Woods followed in her red Pontiac. Woods, who had been drinking vodka for several hours, initially chased her husband and her cousin with her drinking buddy at her side around 3 a.m., prosecutors said.

Brent Nelson | Facebook

She then stopped at a gas station where her husband and her cousin had stopped, and continued to get into a physical altercation with her spouse, prosecutors said. When the men got back in their car and drove away, Woods hopped back into her car alone and followed at a high rate of speed as both cars headed east on Garfield Boulevard, Abraham said.

She caught up to the other car and rammed it four times, prosecutors said. The car was hit with such force it went onto the sidewalk, careened into a light pole and struck a parked food truck, which struck 53-year-old Brent Nelson, who was delivering newspapers at a nearby store.

Nelson was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.

Woods’ blood-alcohol content was 0.17 percent, more than twice the legal limit of .08, prosecutors said.

Judge Cannon sentenced her to 14 years in prison Tuesday, according to court records. She will receive credit for 709 days served in the Cook County Jail, and must serve three years of supervised release.

Woods was booked into the Logan Correctional Center to begin serving her sentence Wednesday, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Shikita Woods charged with murder in crash that killed Brent Nelson

Michael Lansu — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 14:57:42 -0500

Shikita Woods / Photo from Chicago Police

BY RUMMANA HUSSAIN
Chicago Sun-Times

Shikita Woods was angry at her husband for moving out of their house after just three days of marriage and possibly fathering another woman’s child.

So when he jumped into his cousin’s car to escape her drunken rants Sunday morning, Woods followed behind in her red Pontiac and intentionally slammed into them on the South Side, authorities said.

Woods’ husband and cousin survived the crash in the 5500 block of South State Street.

But Brent Nelson, 53, who was standing on a sidewalk delivering newspapers at a nearby store, was killed when he was struck by a food truck Woods also hit, Cook County prosecutors said.

Another store employee who was on the sidewalk suffered a leg injury due to Woods’ actions, Assistant State’s Attorney Enrique Abraham said.

Woods, who had been drinking vodka for several hours, initially chased her husband and her cousin with her drinking buddy at her side around 3 a.m., prosecutors said.

She then stopped at a gas station where her husband and her cousin had stopped and continued to get into a physical altercation with her spouse, Abraham said.

When the husband and cousin got back in their car and drove away, Woods hopped back into her Pontiac alone and followed them at a high rate of speed as both cars headed east on Garfield Boulevard, Abraham said.

Woods, of Gary, Ind., eventually caught up to the other car and rammed into it four times, Abraham said.

The car Woods’ husband was traveling in was hit with such force it went onto the sidewalk and careened into a light pole and the parked food truck, Abraham said.

Nelson was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died.

Woods, 33, was taken to the hospital for minor injuries.

Woods’ blood-alcohol content was 0.17 percent, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08, Abraham said.

Woods was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated DUI and reckless homicide.

She also faces misdemeanor charges of DUI and driving on a revoked license, in addition to numerous traffic citations.

Judge Donald Panarese Jr. on Tuesday ordered Woods held in lieu of $250,000 bond.

Brent Nelson | Homicide Watch Chicago

Woman gets 14 years for drunken argument with new husband that led to crash which killed Brent Nelson in 2015

Shikita Woods charged with murder in crash that killed Brent Nelson