Cecil Conner alone was to blame for the death of his girlfriend’s 5-year-old son last spring, a Will County jury decided Tuesday night, in spite of a fervent defense that tried to fault a Chicago Heights police officer.

Jurors found Conner guilty of two counts of aggravated drunken driving for causing the May 10 crash on Steger Road near Carpenter Street in Steger. Michael Langford Jr. was killed after Conner slammed the red Chevrolet Cavalier into a tree, through a fence and into another tree, uprooting it.

He kept silent as the judge read the jury forms. Then he cried, his attorneys said outside the courthouse.

Conner faces up to 14 years in prison, though he could also qualify for probation.

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