Sentencing begins for mom of Richmond-area teen who overdosed on her drugs

A three-day sentencing hearing began Wednesday for the mother of a 14-year-old boy who died in his father’s Richmond Township home after ingesting her fentanyl.

Cara Ullrich, 46, and Eric Ullrich, 52, each pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of their son Trent after they initially were charged with murder. Eric Ullrich was sentenced last week to 12 years in prison after four days of testimony.

On Wednesday, similar to Eric Ullrich’s sentencing hearing, police body-cam video was played, showing paramedics working to save Trent’s life Jan. 3, 2024. Cara Ullrich, who has been in custody at the county jail since her arrest, visibly wept in court as the videos played.

Trent was later pronounced dead at Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital. Toxicology results showed that he died from a mixture of fentanyl and xylazine, a horse tranquilizer. An expert who testified at Eric Ullrich’s sentencing said the child would have lived had 911 been called hours earlier, when the couple realized that Trent had gotten into her drugs and was overdosing.

Instead, the couple scrambled to revive him and come up with a fictitious story. They did not call 911 right away because they feared getting in trouble with Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, prosecutors contended. The couple had received DCFS intervention in the past, having their two children removed from their care for about a year and a half, according to courtroom testimony during Eric Ullrich‘s sentencing.

The couple’s fabrications continued when paramedics and detectives arrived, according to testimony and prosecutors. Eric Ullrich withheld information that could have helped the paramedics save his son’s life. He said he did not know his son to do drugs or that his ex-wife was in the house.

Detectives later learned that the Ullrichs realized early that morning that Trent had gotten into Cara’s drugs, prompting them to argue and frantically put him in the shower to try to revive him. They then laid him on the couch wrapped only in a towel. The Ullrichs later fell asleep nearby, and when the two woke up about 11 a.m., their son’s lips were blue and he was drooling and unresponsive, according to courtroom testimony.

As Eric Ullrich then called 911, Cara Ullrich ran upstairs, where detectives said they later found her hiding. Body-cam video played Wednesday showed a detective walk into the bathroom and Cara Ullrich popping up, appearing disheveled.

Eric Ullrich then feigned surprise to see her in his home, the video shows, as detectives search the home taking photographs. As at Eric Ullrich’s sentencing hearing, dozens of photos were displayed Wednesday showing fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and marijuana throughout the house and in Trent’s bedroom. Photos also showed drug paraphernalia and scales containing white residue.

Police had realized that Cara Ullrich had warrants for her arrest in a previous case, but “given the sensitivity” of the situation, they did not immediately cuff her, McHenry County Sheriff’s Detective Cody Smith said. When she appeared to realize the police knew who she was and that there was a warrant out for her arrest, she bolted out the back door, and Smith and other officers tackled her and placed her under arrest.

The hearing is set to continue Thursday.