MUSKEGO, Wis. — A Muskego man whose mother was killed in a crash where his brother was the drunk driver says his family lost twice — first in his mother's death and then in the courtroom.
Troy Yiannackopoulos reached out exclusively to talk about how his family felt they had no voice in the proceedings against his brother, Casey Yiannackopoulos, who pleaded guilty to homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle in the death of their mother, Kathy Yiannackopoulos.
"It is a very powerless feeling as victims; we really didn't feel like our voice was heard and we didn't feel like we could express that," Troy Yiannackopoulos said.
Kathy Yiannackopoulos was killed on November 2, 2025 in Muskego when Casey Yiannackopoulos was driving. Troy says the situation is not as simple as it may appear. He says they are a family who had two people they loved battling addiction. It was something they said they told to the prosecutor.
Watch: Brother of OWI crash driver says family lost twice after mother's death and sentencing
"We explained the loving relationship my brother and my mother had, but both of them had a drinking problem," Troy Yiannackopoulos said.
Troy says his brother Casey had stepped up for their mother after their father passed away. During sentencing, much of the focus was on Casey leaving his mother to die in the crash. But Troy says he doesn’t believe that is what happen. He arrived at the scene shortly after the crash and saw it differently — that his brother got scared when police arrived and did not go back to the crash after he ran to get help.
"They were in the window, the police shining their lights and everything; that is when he dropped to the ground and crawled back into the garage," Troy Yiannackopoulos said.
Casey Yiannackopoulos was arrested after a short standoff with police Troy and his siblings wrote a victim impact statement to the judge, pleading for leniency and asking for a 5-year sentence. Waukesha County Judge Ralph Ramirez sentenced Casey to 18 years and explained his reasoning.
"When I impose a sentence, I have to say something about these offenses; I have to give a message to Mr. Yiannackopoulos. I have to give a message to the community. I have to give a message that makes sense when that behavior happens all the time, resulting in the death of another human being," Ramirez said.
Troy says the outcome was not what his family had hoped for and it was not what the victim, his mom would have agreed with either.
"It was not what my mom would have wanted; it was not what any of us wanted — the victims," Troy Yiannackopoulos said.
The district attorney's office did not respond to a request for comment on why prosecutors asked for even more time than the 18 years Ramirez imposed.
Casey Yiannackopoulos has until July 20th to appeal his sentence. His family says they are in the process of doing just that.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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