As the semester ends, most Elgin Community College students have their vacations envisioned or are taking summer courses. However, one student is preparing for his court case.

An ECC student is accused of killing a U.S Marine veteran and his wife in a car collision that occurred last fall.

Charles Rodgers, 20, is charged with two counts of reckless homicide, one count of an unlawful possession of a stolen or converted motor vehicle, two counts of aggravated reckless driving, and one count of speeding. Five of the six charges are felonies, according to Kane County Court records.

If convicted, Rodgers faces up to 9-23 years of prison time. His next court appearance is set for May 20.

On Sept. 5, 2025 around 1:40 p.m., Rodgers allegedly drove 119 mph in a Geneva residential area that had a speed limit of 45 mph, according to a Kane County State Attorney’s news release.

Initially, Rodgers slowed the BMW X3 to a stop on Bricher Road, and then accelerated to over 100 mph, crashing into married couple Dennis White, 85, and Ritsuko White, 88.  To avoid crashing into the couple, he attempted to turn left. Instead, he hit them head-on and went into a woodland area where the BMW ignited, according to the release.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames, according to the news release.

Three other passengers were in the car that Rodgers drove.  Two of them endured fractures, while one was “medically released at the scene,” according to the news release, and the couple in a Toyota Corolla, “died as a result of their injuries.”

On April 17, Rodgers was in court for a pretrial detention hearing during which prosecutors petitioned for the St. Charles resident to remain in jail. The petition was denied and Rordgers was released under electric home monitoring, according to the news release. 

Per the conditions of his release, Rodgers cannot drive a vehicle at all and cannot be employed at places that require driving one. Although he was allowed to go to a limited number of places, Rodgers has to be approved by a supervising authority to do so, according to court records.

Under Rodgers pretrial conditions, he cannot contact the passengers who were in his car nor can he own a firearm  or a weapon. He is also not allowed to use controlled substances and alcohol, according to court records.

This is not Rodgers first incident with speeding. 

In 2023, he received a citation for speeding 15-20 mph over the statutory speed limit in 2023. He got six months of supervision and had to pay fines that amounted to $352.50, according to Kane County Court records.