Casey Yiannackopoulos, 48, was sentenced to 18 years in prison followed by eight years of probation after pleading guilty to homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle for leaving his mother to die alone in a crashed car while he fled the scene and hid from police inside his home's crawl space.
Background
The tragic events unfolded on Nov. 2 when Muskego Police responded to a single-vehicle crash around 7:15 p.m. on the S7100 block of Hillendale Drive, a Milwaukee suburb. When officers arrived at the scene, they found Yiannackopoulos' 77-year-old mother alone in the front passenger seat of the vehicle. She was unconscious but breathing. First responders were forced to break through both front and rear passenger windows to extricate her from the car before rushing her to Waukesha Memorial Hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead approximately one hour later.
Home surveillance video obtained by investigators allegedly showed Yiannackopoulos driving at least 50 mph in a 30 mph zone just moments before he left the roadway and crashed into the ditch. Multiple witnesses reported seeing him flee the scene on foot, describing him as visibly intoxicated based on his unsteady gait and the strong smell of alcohol emanating from him.
According to police accounts, Yiannackopoulos told the witnesses that he was going to get help but never returned. Investigators soon discovered the defendant's mother lived just down the street from where the crash occurred.
The Investigation
When officers went to Yiannackopoulos' residence, they observed a ladder leading to a crawl space with its plywood door slightly ajar. Police said he refused to come down and instead yelled and cursed at the responding officers. At approximately 10:45 p.m., authorities deployed a drone to survey the crawl space and spotted Yiannackopoulos hiding underneath blankets and a plastic bin cover.
He eventually had to be physically removed from his hiding spot and taken into custody. According to the probable cause arrest affidavit, police observed that he had bloodshot and glassy eyes during processing. When questioned, Yiannackopoulos allegedly stated: "It was an accident" and claimed he would have been "way more cooperative" if he had known at the scene that his mother was dead.
Yiannackopoulos was originally charged with first-degree reckless homicide, hit-and-run involving death, and two counts of resisting or obstructing an officer. He ultimately pleaded guilty to a single count of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle.
Key Takeaways
- The victim, Yiannackopoulos' 77-year-old mother, died alone in the passenger seat after being unable to escape the crashed vehicle
- Surveillance footage allegedly captured Yiannackopoulos driving at least 50 mph in a 30 mph zone before the crash
- Rather than staying to help his mother or call for assistance, he fled on foot and returned home, hiding in his crawl space from police
- Officers located him approximately three hours later using a drone, concealed under blankets and a plastic bin cover
- Yiannackopoulos pleaded guilty rather than proceeding to trial on the original charges
What's Next
Yiannackopoulos is required to serve the 18-year prison term before beginning his eight years of supervised probation. During sentencing, he turned to family members in the courtroom and expressed remorse, stating: "The closest thing to God you will feel is the love of your mother." However, Waukesha County Circuit Judge Ralph Ramirez rejected the apology, saying: "I know that Mr. Yiannackopoulos keenly feels the loss of his mother but I refuse to feel sorry for the man who caused the death of his own mother." Court Commissioner Daniel Rieck had previously described the defendant's actions as "depraved," noting that he chose to abandon his dying mother rather than face consequences for driving under the influence.