Woman sentenced to 14 years for involuntary manslaughter in drug overdose of 14-year-old son near Richmond

Chicago Tribune

14-06-2025

A mother tearfully spoke of battling addiction before she was sentenced Friday to the maximum 14 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter in the overdose drug death of her 14-year-old son in McHenry County.
Judge Tiffany Davis confronted Cara Ullrich with pictures of herself from her numerous arrests over the years, showing her decline until the day her son died.
Asked what she saw, Ullrich said, 'A shattered woman who lost everything. I don't know how, she tried to keep it together for herself and her family.'
But prosecutors said Ullrich and her husband, Eric Ullrich, took pictures of their kids holding cannabis that they'd gotten for Christmas at their father's house near Richmond. On Jan. 3, 2024, 14-year-old Trent overdosed on a mix of fentanyl, the animal sedative xylazine, known as 'tranq,' cocaine and cannabis.
When the boy stopped breathing, prosecutors said, his parents tried to revive him rather than calling 911 for help that could have saved him. They took him into a shower and gave him Narcan, an opioid antidote, but fell asleep, and by the time they called 911 hours later, prosecutors said, it was too late.
Prosecutors said the parents were afraid of being arrested and losing custody of their children, as they had previously.
A medical expert, Dr. Steven Aks, had testified that had the parents called for help immediately, the tragic incident would have been 'completely survivable.' It remained unclear if Trent got into the drugs on his own or they were given to him, but McHenry County Sheriff's law enforcement officials said they found bags of drugs throughout the house.
Both parents were initially charged with murder, but pleaded guilty instead to involuntary manslaughter. Eric Ullrich, 52, was sentenced this year to 12 years in prison.
At her sentencing, Cara Ulrich told of how she was kicked out of the house as a teen by her alcoholic mother. She said she is pursuing her high school equivalency in prison, where she is serving a prior four-year sentence for aggravated battery, and would be willing to get drug treatment.
But Cara Ullrich also wrote a letter to a friend saying she was eager to get out of jail and party again. The judge admonished her for 'glorifying drug use' with her children and acting like it's cool.
'It's shocking,' she said.
Cara Ullrich had a long list of prior traffic and other offenses, including an order of protection against her for allegedly cutting her husband and repeatedly threatening to kill him.
The booking pictures of the defendant, Davis said, showed 'a beautiful young woman' who went out of control on drugs. 'It stole your vitality, and it stole you away from your kids.'
Trent, his 14-year-old brother told authorities, was 'a good kid, kind, loyal and a good brother,' Davis said.
Defense attorney Brian Stevens said Ullrich was the victim of a tragic upbringing and addiction, while Assistant State's Attorney Ashley Romito and Special Prosecutor William Bruce had castigated the parents for leaving their son to die.
But the judge said she saw potential in Cara Ullrich, who is 46. She will have to serve half her sentence, minus a year behind bars already, meaning she could be out in six years.
'You could do this … and come out different,' Davis said.
'The Department of Corrections is a dark place,' she said, 'but you can go in there and be the light for others.'