Photo: Tiffany "Beer Muscles" Startz, right, leaves the Will County Courthouse in Joliet today after a judge postponed ruling on whether to drop charges against her after she allegedly threw a fatal punch during a party game in Crest Hill that killed John Powell.A Will County judge this morning delayed a ruling on whether charges will be dropped against a woman who fatally punched a man during a Crest Hill party game last year.
Tiffany Startz, 21, was charged with felony reckless conduct and battery charges in the death of John Powell, who had accepted a $5 bet to be punched in the face by Startz, police say.
Judge Edward Burmila had been expected to rule this morning on whether charges should be dismissed against Startz, 21 as well as Romeoville resident Jimmy Mounts, 27, who staged the game. But he put off a decision until May 27.
Powell's mother, Theresa Guy, initially thought her 25-year-old son fell and hit his head on a table during the party in September. But as she was finalizing funeral arrangements, police called her and told her about the bet and the punch.
Startz's attorneys have argued the charges should be dismissed because the punch was consensual.
While they have argued she was an untrained fighter whose fatal punch was a freak accident, Guy said she believes the point of the game was to demonstrate how well Startz, who had punched men at other parties, could hit.
"Do you think if she did that at a party yesterday and she hurt her hand, do you think she would've done it again?" Guy said. "She knew what she was doing."
On Sept. 25, a party was being thrown at Mounts' uncle's home to celebrate the life of a woman who had committed suicide. Powell, part of a two-man rap group called Krazy Killaz, had been asked to perform.
Powell, a "daredevil" who had played football at Romeoville High School, his mother said, accepted $5 and let Startz punch him. A cellphone recording shows that Powell was knocked back several steps by the blow.
He collapsed a few minutes later.
The impact of the punch ruptured an artery in Powell's neck, causing blood to pool around his brain and leading to his death soon after at Provena St. Joseph's Medical Center in Joliet, said Will County Coroner Patrick O'Neil.
Guy said Crest Hill police found that no one called 911 until after partygoers had settled on a story and gave the underage drinkers time to leave.
"They weren't concerned about my son lying there," she said.
Powell had moved back to Romeoville shortly before his death. He worked days manufacturing semitrailer hoses at E.H. Lynn Industries, stopping at his mom's place each day after work to talk before she left for her bartending job.
"I miss not seeing him every day," Guy said. "The lies (about how he died) made it worse."
She hopes a state legislator will take interest in creating a "John's Law" that would impose stiffer penalties on people who hurt others at parties.
"I don't think we should lose my son and nothing should be done," she said. "They walk away with a slap on the hand. How fair is that?"