Man accused of killing mother in drunk driving crash appears in court

MUSKEGO, Wis. (CBS58) -- The man accused of killing his mother while driving drunk and then fleeing from the scene on Sunday appeared in Waukesha County Court Thursday, Nov. 6.

Casey Yiannackopoulos is accused of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, operating while intoxicated, hit-and-run causing death, and resisting an officer. Yiannackopolous reportedly crashed his vehicle Nov. 2 around 7:15 p.m. near the intersection of Hillendale Drive and Maple Court in Muskego. 

According to the criminal complaint, witnesses say Yiannackopoulos pulled out of his driveway, going about 50 miles per hour in a 30-mile-per-hour zone, and crashed into a ditch. He left his mother in the passenger seat, who later died from her injuries.

Flowers, tire tracks, and glass remain at the scene of the crash.

According to court documents, he left the scene and appeared drunk. Officers later found him hiding under a blanket in his garage’s crawl space. For hours, he refused to go with them. He allegedly told police that if he had known his mother died, he would've been “way more cooperative.”

In court Thursday, Yiannackopolous had no attorney, so he and the court commissioner filed paperwork to request a public defender.

The only time there was a brief mention of Sunday's incident was when going over assets, and Yiannackopolous referenced his vehicle, which was damaged.

Waukesha County Court Commissioner David Herring cut him off, saying, "We're going to be real careful with what we talk about, because it's not lost upon the context of why we're here."

Yiannackopolous is due back in court Nov. 15.