2 Investigators

CHICAGO (CBS) ― It was a case that sparked outrage. A nun involved in a deadly crash is found not guilty. Now the dead boy's mother and another victim are speaking out for the first time about whether they think justice was served. CBS 2 Investigator Dave Savini has their story and their concerns that the nun's job lead to the deadly crash.

The picture of a smiling nun is what prompted this grieving mother to speak on camera for the first time.

"No nun that I know would be with that kind of a smile on her face," said Renita Forbes.

Renita Forbes' 16-year-old son Keith was in the back seat of a car when it was hit by Sister Marie Marot in 2007.

Forbes remembers rushing to the hospital.

"So I went up to him and I says, 'Keith, Keith,' and he didn't respond," Forbes said. "Then as I got closer to him, he had blood running out of his ears."

Sister Marot was charged with running a red light while driving a white van into the intersection of Route 72 and Randall Road in Elgin.

The police report says Sister Marot didn't remember if her traffic control light was green, but thought it was, and she didn't remember if she applied the brakes. 

A jury acquitted her last month.

Forbes says justice was not served.

"It will be known what happened on that road that night," Forbes said.

She is suing Sister Marot and the Fraternite Notre Dame which operates the bakery where, according to the police report, the nun was working the day of the crash.

That report shows she started working at 6 a.m., took a four-hour afternoon prayer break and then worked into the night, until the crash at 12:15 a.m.

Forbes questions how the religious order could allow Sister Marot to get behind the wheel after working such a long day.

Pizza shop owner Miguel Realzola witnessed the crash and says the nun was at fault.

"It was red, I mean no if ands or buts about it," Realzola said. "It was red. She went through it."

When asked if she got out to help the kids after the crash, Realzola said, "No, not at all, she stayed in her car."

Two other witnesses also say it appeared Sister Marot ran the red.

The jury still found her not guilty. Shortly after, the smiling picture was snapped.

"It's not a victory for my baby to be dead," Forbes said.

Outrage over the photo also prompted Alexis Pena to speak to the media for the first time. She was Keith Forbes' best friend and was driving the car struck by Sister Marot.

Pena is angry Sister Marot was allowed to wear her habit before the jury.

"They don't want to convict somebody that they see in a habit," Pena said. "They wouldn't want to say she's guilty."

Pena and Forbes are also angered that the jury wasn't allowed to know that someone died in the crash. So to the jury it was just another red light case.

"Everybody deserves to know that he died," Pena said. "I just want justice, I want people to know the truth of what really did happen."

Renita Forbes and Alexis Pena both filed civil lawsuits against the nun and her religious order.

On Wednesday, Sister Marot showed us her convent and then sat down to talk exclusively with CBS 2 Investigator Dave Savini about the terrible tragedy, the picture of her smiling and whether she believes the accident was her fault.

Her lawyer claims her statement to police was not properly translated. She primarily speaks French, and he claims she did not run the red light.

CBS 2 will have more on this story Thursday at 10 p.m. including her attorney's allegations that witnesses were not credible and that she absolutely did nothing wrong.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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