A Glenview family is mourning the loss of their 20-year-old daughter, Katie Braham, and her friend, Chloe Polzin, after a devastating hit-and-run crash in Urbana, Illinois. The tragedy has sparked renewed calls for stricter immigration enforcement after the alleged driver, an undocumented Guatemalan man, fled the scene and attempted to escape to Mexico.
Katie, a junior at Ohio University, was visiting friends at the University of Illinois when the car she and her friends were in was struck at a stoplight by a driver authorities say was intoxicated. The driver hit the car at full force and fled on foot, leaving the victims behind.
Katie was pronounced dead at the scene, and her friend Chloe, 21, of Deerfield, passed away the following day.
Julio Cucul Bol, identified as a Guatemalan national using an alias, was apprehended days later by U.S. Marshals while on a bus in Texas heading toward the Mexican border. Katie’s family expressed relief at the arrest, but they are now seeking justice.
“We were afraid he was going to flee,” said Katie’s stepmother, Michelle. “Knowing they caught him and that we have a chance to get justice for Katie was a huge relief. We want this man to face the maximum sentence possible for the pain he’s caused our family.”
Katie’s father, Joe Braham, voiced frustration with the system, questioning how someone in the country illegally could evade accountability for such a horrific crime.
“I don’t want to get too political because that’s not going to bring Katie back, but I’d like to see more vetting,” Joe said. “He was drinking. He was driving. Is that the kind of person we want when we think about immigration?”
The family is urging anyone with information about the suspect’s whereabouts on the night of the crash to come forward and help Urbana police build their case.
Katie’s body has been brought home to the Chicago area, and her funeral services are still being arranged.
This heartbreaking incident has reignited debates over immigration policy and public safety. Many are questioning how an undocumented individual with a criminal background could remain in the country, avoid detection, and endanger innocent lives.
Katie’s family hopes their loss will serve as a wake-up call for improving immigration monitoring and ensuring justice for victims of preventable crimes.
