If Jeanette Sliwinski Goes Free, That Would be Insane

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 15, 2007 5:25PM

The Sun-Times asks what we hope is a rhetorical question on the cover of today's edition; "How do you punish somebody for being so senseless?" The question was actually asked by Paul Dahlquist, father of one of three musicians brutally murdered* by Jeanette Sliwinski almost 2 1/2 years ago. She attempted to kill herself by slamming her car into a vehicle carrying Michael Dahlquist, John Glick, and Doug Meis while the three were out on a lunch break.

All three were prominent players in the local music scene, and to say they were beloved by family, friends, and fans would be a tremendous understatement. Personally, not a week goes by that we don't reflect upon this tragic loss, and not a week goes by that we don't wonder just what sort of punishment would be appropriate to mete out to Sliwinski. We can't think of anything appropriate that would balance out her selfish act that robbed us of Dahlquist, Glick, and Meis.

Well, we suppose we're going to find out soon what the justice system deems appropriate, since Sliwinski's trial begins today. The state is, surprisingly, not seeking the death penalty, and her defense team is expected to plea insanity. We're sorry, but while we agree it's insane to kill three innocent people, we also think Sliwinski knew exactly what she was doing.

*Yes, that's incendiary, and no, we don't care.

Illustration of Michael Dahlquist, John Glick, and Doug Meis from the 3 Friends Benefit poster.