A female drunk driver accused of killing Chicago's famous motorbike advocate the 'Princess of Persia' has been freed on an ankle monitor by a woke judge known to be defendant-friendly.
Miracle Hall, 25, is accused of striking Mehnoosh Hatami, a leader in Chicago's motorcycling community, in a fiery crash on August 19.
Hatami, 49, was driving home from work along Lake Shore Drive around 11.30pm when she was rear-ended, thrown from her bike and dragged down the road, police say.
Hall is accused of plowing into Hatami's bike with her Ford Fusion after she 'aggressively' merged in front of a car traveling directly behind Hatami at a 'high rate of speed,' CWB Chicago reported.
A witness then saw Hall walk away from the car and run towards Lake Michigan with a 'handle of liquor' and dump it into the water, before returning to the scene, prosecutors said.
Hall was breathalyzed and had blood alcohol concentration of 0.100, according to prosecutors. The legal limit in Illinois is 0.08.
Hall was arrested and subsequently charged with felony aggravated DUI/accident/death, misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol and various traffic citations.
Prosecutors urged Judge D'Anthony Thedford to detain her ahead of her trial, but he declined and instead released her with an ankle monitor.
Mehnoosh Hatami, 49, was killed in a fiery crash in Chicago on August 19
Miracle Hall, 25, is accused of drunkenly rear ending the motorcyclist with car and dragging Hatami's bike along the road, before her own vehicle erupted in flames
Hatami was thrown from her motorcycle before the bike broke free and skidded to a stop about 150 feet away from Hall's burning vehicle
The decision comes after prosecutors alleged that Hall 'mounted' Hatami's motorcycle with her car and kept driving southbound, dragging the bike along with her.
The impact caused the Ford Fusion to erupt into what police have described as a 'ball of fire.'
Hatami was thrown from her motorcycle and the bike broke free and skidded to a stop about 150 feet away from Hall's burning vehicle.
A bystander stopped to help Hatami, who was still breathing, and protect her from oncoming traffic as first responders rushed to the scene, authorities said.
She was taken to Northwestern Hospital, where she died less than an hour later.
Hall, who had a 'strong odor of an alcoholic beverage,' was breathalyzed on site, police said.
A witness at the scene told police she heard Hall admit to striking the motorcyclist while she was on a phone call.
This allegedly occurred just moments before Hall dumped the booze in the lake.
At Hall's detention hearing Saturday, Judge D'Anthony Thedford denied prosecutors' petition for her detention. Hall was instead sent home with an ankle monitor
Hatami, known as the Princess of Persia, was a pillar in Chicago's motorcycling community. She was a member of Chicago United Riders and the co-founder of Illinois Rider Escape, where she worked to bring riders together and help empower others
Firefighters work to extinguish Hall's burning Ford Fusion after the deadly crash
Judge Thedford assumed office in Cook County Circuit Court in December 2024.
He denies detention requests nearly twice as often as his colleagues in the Pretrial Division at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse, a CWB Chicago investigation revealed in May.
The overall detention petition approval rate in the division is 69 percent, but Thedford reportedly only approved around 42 percent of petitions in non-domestic city felony cases since he was elected in March.
On August 11, Thedford refused to detain an alleged drunk driver accused in a separate deadly crash.
That driver allegedly fled the scene of the accident while the victim's body was still in his vehicle, investigators said.
Hatami was a mother of two, a grandmother and had a 'true passion for motorcycles and the riding community,' her obituary said.
She was a member of Chicago United Riders and the co-founder of Illinois Rider Escape, where she worked to bring riders together and help empower others.
'Riding was one of the things that brought her the most happiness. She loved the freedom of being on her bike and the friendships she made along the way,' the tribute reads.
'More than anything, Mehrnoosh loved her family and friends. She was a strong woman with a big heart who would do anything for the people she loved, especially her children.'
Hatami is seen on a ride through the city in a photo shared on GoFundMe. According to the fundraiser, 'riding was one of the things that brought her the most happiness. She loved the freedom of being on her bike and the friendships she made along the way'
Hatami, in a photo shared on GoFundMe, is remembered by her loved ones from her caring heart, love of family and how she 'lived her life with strength, love, and generosity'
Her loved ones will remember her for her caring heart, love of family and how she 'lived her life with strength, love, and generosity.'
A GoFundMe campaign has been created to support her heartbroken daughter, Niusha Khansanami, and son, Kiarash Khansanami, as they mourn her tragic death.
'Our beautiful mother's life was tragically taken away at only 49 years old after being struck by a drunk driver while riding her motorcycle,' the siblings wrote on the fundraiser.
'There truly are no words that can describe the heartbreak of losing our mom so suddenly. She was so much more than our mother – she was a loving, caring, selfless woman who left an impact on everyone fortunate enough to know her.'
The pair said they know Hatami is 'smiling down from Heaven right now, seeing everyone who has shown up for her and witnessing just how deeply she was loved and honored.'
'Mom, we will carry your love, your strength, your kindness, and your beautiful spirit with us for the rest of our lives. Your ride may have ended here, but the impact you made on this world will continue through every person whose life you touched,' they added.
The Daily Mail has approached Thedford's office and Chicago United Riders for comment.
