DeKALB – The man behind the wheel of the semi that crashed and killed a DeKalb County Sheriff’s deputy last year was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Tuesday.
Nathan Sweeney, 45, of DeKalb, is ordered to serve the maximum sentence for one count of aggravated driving under the influence.
He pleaded guilty last year to DUI charges in the death of Deputy Christina Musil.
Two other aggravated DUI charges and a reckless homicide charge were dismissed as part of an agreement with prosecutors.
Around 10:30 p.m. on March 28, 2024, Musil was parked on the shoulder of Route 23, just south of Perry Road in Waterman, when Sweeney’s Kentworth truck ran off the road and crashed into the back of her squad car, according to investigators.
Musil, 35, had been with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office for five years. She was a mother of three and served in Afghanistan with the Army.
DeKalb County Sheriff Andrew Sullivan says that though Sweeney was sentenced, it will never bring Deputy Musil back.
“There is no sentence that could be given that would bring Christina back,” Sullivan said in a statement to the Northern Star. “We think of her and her family every day. This should never have happened, and every loss is tragic, and there is zero reason for this to have happened while doing her job. To say that our hearts are broken will never be accurate enough. We will always continue to honor Christina, her family, and her service.”
