Trial in drug-induced homicide case involving a Joliet woman pushed back

YORKVILLE - The trial for a Joliet woman accused of a 2017 drug-induced homicide has been postponed, a Kendall County judge ruled Wednesday, March 3.

Krystle Hoffman, of White Birch Lane in Joliet, was set to stand trial on a charge of drug-induced homicide in May for allegedly selling Joliet resident Lorna Haseltine a fatal dose of heroin, but Hoffman tore her rotator cuff on the job and is set for surgery days before her court date.

Her attorney, Joliet criminal defense lawyer Jeff Tomczak, requested to have the trial postponed until Hoffman has recovered.

“We’re eager to get (the case) resolved,” Tomczak told the court. “I’m thinking of coming back in three weeks (after the surgery) just to see where we’re at with the recovery time for purposes of putting it on the trial calendar.”

Assistant State’s Attorney Mark Shlifka did not object to the postponement, but remarked that “obviously this case is getting quite old.”

The charges against Hoffman stem from Haseltine’s August 2017 death from a heroin overdose. Authorities allege Hoffman sold her the lethal dose of heroin and arrested Hoffman in November 2018.

A judge is set to determine Hoffman’s new trial date during a hearing set for Wednesday, June 30.