Big Brother 3’s Tonya Paoni Status Hearing Update for Reckless Homicide & DUI Charges

On Monday, July 19, Big Brother 3’s Tonya Casper (formerly Paoni, when she was on the show) was brought before Judge Leo Zappa in Sangamon County Courthouse room 7D (Sangamon County is in Illinois and contains Springfield, the state’s capitol). Reality News Online had a reporter in attendance to find out the next step in the case against her.

As you may recall from a previous article in the Reality TV Hall of Shame, Casper was arrested on May 27 on charges of reckless homicide, aggravated DUI, aggravated reckless conduct, aggravated reckless driving, DUI, and speeding, and was held in Sangamon County Jail, where her bail had been set at a million dollars. (The Hall of Shame article also details some of the more memorable moments of Casper’s stay in the Big Brother house, in case reminders are necessary.)

The accident leading to her arrest involved her own car (a Toyota Corolla) allegedly rear-ending a Ford Explorer on I-72 outside of Springfield on the night of July 17, 2009. The Explorer hit the median and rolled over several times, resulting in the death of a passenger who was thrown from the backseat. Another passenger left the vehicle mostly unharmed but was then struck and killed by another car, which was trying to avoid a secondary accident on the highway. As you could tell from the charges leveled at Casper, she was allegedly under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident.

This morning, Casper’s hearing was supposed to begin, among a number of others, at 9:00 am, but the judge did not actually enter the courtroom until 9:38. The courtroom was filled with a motley assortment of defendants and those associated with them, ranging from those in suits and ties (only a couple) to those wearing shorts and t-shirts – or worse (many more). But looks can be deceiving, and one case that was heard before Casper’s involved a defendant who appeared to be a nice old man – but who was charged with being a sexual predator. Then again, sometimes looks were not deceiving, as was the case of a young man in a ratty t-shirt who was laughing with his friend because the state offered him probation, which he said would be his fourth time.

In the time leading up to the judge’s arrival, the hustle and bustle of activity in the freezing-cold courtroom increased as defense attorneys, clients, and prosecutors were talking, comparing notes, and making plans and deals. Casper was not among those, because she was still in custody.

When her case was called after four or five others, deputies escorted her from the holding area, still wearing her jailhouse grey stripes. She was represented by defense attorney Jon Gray Noll, who told Judge Zappa that he had talked to Casper and her family and believed that the trial date would need to be set in the November/January timeframe. The reasoning he gave was that they need toxicology results and accident reconstruction, which he seemed to indicate was still ongoing – or at least needed further study. Furthermore, he stated his belief that expert witnesses will need to be brought in. Plus, there is apparently a civil case that may serve as a further distraction.

Judge Zappa agreed that expert testimony would almost certainly play a role, but he did not want to push off the trial that far – at least not yet. He indicated his preference for getting short status updates, with the first one set for September 13. This will not be Casper’s trial date, but will be another look at the status of the case.

So for now, the status quo seems to have been maintained in the Casper case. She remains in jail while the lawyers and experts work out the next step. If anything new happens, Reality News Online and the Reality TV Hall of Shame will bring you the information.

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