Man charged with DUI in deadly Aurora crash

A man was charged with DUI for a crash that killed his passenger over the last week in west suburban Aurora.

James Malone, 29, of Aurora, is charged with aggravated DUI, reckless homicide and a number of related traffic offenses in the death of Gus Bester Jr., according to a statement from Aurora police.

Aurora police

Malone was driving the 1987 Chevrolet Caprice with 32-year-old Bester in the passenger seat about 3 p.m. on June 22 when the car left westbound Sherman Avenue and hit a large tree in a yard near Pearl Street, police said.

Bester, who lived in Kankakee, was pinned in the passenger seat and had to be extricated, according to police. He was unconscious and not breathing by the time he was removed and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Malone was treated at an area hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, police said. An investigation revealed he was under the influence of alcohol during the crash.

He is being held at the Kane County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, according to police and Kane County sheriff’s office inmate records.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.