CHICAGO — A wife was charged with reckless homicide for allegedly running over her husband after he was trapped on their SUV’s roof while she was driving on the Dan Ryan, court documents state.
On Sunday afternoon, prosecutors said Haihua Cheng, 27, and her husband John Gutierrez, 31, pulled into a parking area in Chinatown. Gutierrez then got out of the driver’s seat to pay a meter.
Documents state Cheng then moved into the driver’s seat and began to drive away as her husband tried to get back in. He grabbed the door then climbed onto the roof, while holding onto the cargo rails on top of their Nissan Rogue.
Prosecutors believe as Gutierrez was banging on the roof and the windows of the vehicle, Cheng drove southbound onto the Dan Ryan via the Cermak entrance ramp. Cheng allegedly drove past several exits at around 55 MPH as her husband continues to bang on the roof.
Documents state Cheng slowed down and drove on the Garfield exit ramp, followed by a witness who called 911. Gutierrez then climbed down and tried to get into the passenger seat, but Cheng allegedly drove away.
As she was driving away, documents state her husband had a hand on the passenger door handle as she sped way. Prosecutors then allege Gutierrez’s head and neck were run over by the SUV’s rear tire, killing him.
Cheng allegedly did not check on her husband and did not report the incident to authorities. However, her attorney claimed that she was trying to escape a kidnapping attempt by her husband and Gutierrez had been addicted to drugs while physically abusing her for two weeks prior — according to the Sun-Times.
The attorney said Gutierrez allegedly tried to stop the SUV when Cheng wanted to drive to a police station to report the abuse.
She was later arrested at the Oak Forest Police Department by state troopers and charged with reckless homicide and failure to report an accident.
