Photo: St. Michael School/ Parish
On the night of Dec. 4, three people affiliated with a Chicago-area church and its accompanying school attended a church Christmas party.
Before the night was over, all three of their lives would dramatically change.
Margaret “Rone” Leja, 61, a technology teacher at St. Michael School in Orland Park, would be killed. Her friend, fellow St. Michael teacher Liz Kosteck, 54, would be injured. And a retired priest from St. Michael Church, Paul Burak, 73 — a man who had led a congregation of followers for years — would be charged in a fatal hit-and-run crash that would shock the community.
“I know that this news is disturbing and will surface many emotions,” the Pastor of St. Michael Parish, Fr. Frank A. Kurucz, wrote to parishioners on the morning of Dec. 8, shortly after Burak was formally charged in the crash,reports theChicago Tribune. “Grief, anger and confusion are dominating our thoughts. This is a truly difficult time for our parish community as we continue to grieve the loss of Ms. Leja and injury to Mrs. Kosteck and to make sense of what has happened.”
Rev. Paul Burak.Orland Park Police
Making sense of what happened is still difficult for those involved. According to prosecutors, Burak admitted to drinking a Manhattan cocktail and a glass of wine at the Christmas party, which was held at the Square Celt Ale House & Grill at Orland Square Mall.
Though party attendees reportedly encouraged Burak not to get behind the wheel, he allegedly insisted he was fine to drive,theChicago Sun-Timesreports.Burak left he party around 8 p.m., getting into his 2016 Buick Regal.
“He remembers that he heard a noise, like someone’s chassis out of the car, as if you went over a curb and hit the curb with the bottom of your car,” Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said after the incident,CBS 2 Chicago reports. “He never thought it was a person. He said he did stop after he felt he hit something. He said he then gunned the car.”
After allegedly fleeing the scene of the crash, Burak, 73, was arrested Friday. He reportedly told authorities that he had “blacked out” during the fatal incident.
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Burak was charged with aggravated DUI and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. He posted $10,000 bail on Saturday, and on Tuesday, Burak’s legal team had the case called, and prosecutors took a continuance to present the case to the grand jury for possible indictment.
“Father Burak joined the seminary at age 19 and served the Catholic church until his retirement in June, 2018 at the age of 71,” Burak’s defense attorney, Sarah Toney of the Toney Law Firm, LLC, toldPEOPLE.
“He is absolutely devastated,” says Toney.
Leja was a school technology coach at St. Michael. Kosteck, who was released from the hospital after being treated for her injuries, is a third-grade teacher at St. Michael, where she worked since 2005, according totheSun-Times.
source: people.com
