Oswego man sentenced to three and a half years in prison for 2021 fatal crash

An Oswego man has been sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison for a 2021 crash in Oswego that killed a pedestrian.

Jaylin Buckner, 21, of the 600 block of Otter Way, was charged with reckless homicide for the July 1, 2021 crash. He also was sentenced to a concurrent two years in prison for aggravated unlawful use of an electronic communication device.

He pleaded guilty to the charges in March 2023 and was sentenced on Oct. 13.

Antonio Villarreal, 32, of Oswego, was struck by a Nissan Sentra driven by Buckner as he tried to cross Mill Road at Washington Street to Lynx Lane. Buckner’s vehicle was proceeding east on Mill Road.

Villarreal was a combat veteran who served tours overseas as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army. The Oswego Police Department analyzed the vehicle’s data recorded and determined that Buckner was driving 60 mph in a 35 mph zone and never applied the brakes, according a news release from the Kendall County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Police also analyzed Buckner’s phone and determined that he was using his phone for Snapchat right before the crash.

“The fact that someone can serve so courageously and return home to be killed in such a senseless, preventable way is a tragedy beyond words, Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weiss said in the release. “Let it serve as a reminder to the consequences of distracted driving. My deepest sympathies to the family of Antonio Villarreal.”