UPDATE (6:30 p.m.) -- Emotions spilled over after a Peoria County defendant was sentenced for an aggravated street racing charge in an incident that left four young women dead.
43-year-old Jerome Polnitz received a six-year sentence in court Wednesday. Around two dozen friends and family of the four victims walked out of court shortly after the sentence was read, some voicing their displeasure both inside and outside the courthouse.
"The justice system ain't s***!" Margaret Williams, mother of Diamond Williams, shouted outside the courthouse.
There was also a verbal altercation between court security and friends and family of the defendant.
Multiple police cars arrived at the courthouse following the hearing, and court security also came outside to help keep peace.
The crash happened last Spetember. Police said Polnitz raced the four women's car down Washington Street in Peoria at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour before the women's car lost control and crashed.
Four Manual High School students were killed; Jazzman Burns, 22, Diamond Williams, 18, Quanylan Thomas, 19, and Tyesha Thomas, 18.
During the hearing, Williams also gave a victim impact statement in which she repeatedly asked Polnitz why he was racing them.
Judge Kevin Lyons handed down the sentence, saying Polnitz's lengthy criminal history and numerous traffic citations played a role in his sentence.
"When you go south, you go there on a rocket ship," Lyons said. "You have pissed your life away."
The maximum sentence that could be imposed was 10 years due to a plea agreement. Lyons did credit Polnitz for admitting his mistake by pleading guilty.
Polnitz also spoke in court, offering what Judge Lyons called a genuine apology to the victims families. Polnitz said not a day goes by that he doesn't think of what happened.
[There are] no words that I can offer [to the families]," Polnitz said. "I have disappointed my own family and friends as well. I apologize."
PEORIA (Heart of Illinois ABC) -- A man who admitted to felony aggravated street racing back in August has been sentenced to six years in prison, along with one year of supervised release.
Jerome Polnitz, 43, admitted to racing another car in September 2020 which then crashed into a tree at Washington and Darst streets -- an accident that killed four Manual High School students: Jazzman Burns, 22, Diamond Williams, 18, Quanylan Thomas, 19, and Tyesha Thomas, 18.
Polnitz expressed remorse in court -- apologize to the families directly -- saying there were no words he could offer to ease their grief.
Shortly before Judge Kevin Lyons could read the sentence, around two dozen family members of the four students walked out of court -- some voicing their displeasure both inside and outside the courthouse.
There was also a verbal altercation between court security and friends and family of the defendant.
Multiple police cars were on scene but no one was seen being taken into custody.
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October 07, 2021 at 04:40AM
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Man sees 6-year sentence after admitting to aggravated street racing - HOI ABC
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