Champaign woman gets 10 years for deadly 2025 crash that killed 2-month-old

URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) -- A Champaign woman was sentenced to a decade behind bars for driving under the influence and causing a crash in Urbana that killed a two-month-old infant last year. 41-year-old Kartila Brooks was in court on Tuesday to learn her fate after she pleaded guilty in November to aggravated DUI causing death, which is a Class 2 felony. She faced up to 10 years in prison for this crime, and that's ultimately what she got. On March 13, 2025, Brooks' SUV crashed into several cars at the intersection of Philo Road and Colorado Avenue. Surveillance footage showed her car ignored a stop sign and entered the intersection at high speed -- 48 miles per hour, to be exact. The car's on-board system showed there was no attempt to apply the brakes before the car crashed. One of the cars involved was a Chrysler Pacifica with four people inside -- Evelyn Huang and her daughters, ages 10, 9 and two months. Brooks' SUV t-boned the van directly where the youngest, CeCe, was sitting in her car seat. Evelyn and her eldest daughters all suffered injuries that included broken bones, but CeCe suffered a devastating brain injury and died hours later. Police officers could smell burnt marijuana in Brooks’ SUV, and they found a partially burnt cigarillo. A sample of her blood, tested by the Illinois State Police, confirmed she was high; the amount of THC in her system was more than double the legal limit to drive. Brooks was arrested and charged with four counts of aggravated DUI -- three for causing bodily harm and one for causing death. She later reached a deal that saw her plead guilty to the count relating to CeCe's death; the others were dismissed. Court records show that during sentencing, the prosecution presented another witness and more evidence for Judge Adam Dill to hear, along with a victim impact statement. Brooks and her attorney both made statements. After hearing the new evidence and statements, Dill sentenced Brooks to 10 years in prison. She spent only five days in custody following her arrest, which leaves the vast majority of her sentence left to be served. Records from the Champaign County Jail show she was booked back into the jail after her sentencing, where she awaits a transfer to the Illinois Department of Corrections.