A mentally ill man that attacked a woman, raped her eight-year-old stepdaughter and stabbed her dog, has pleaded guilty to all charges and is now facing between 12 and 93 years behind prison bars, as reported by The Courier-News, The Daily Herald and other media outlets.
D.H., 29, pleaded guilty but mentally ill on August 9. The attacks all took place within a Carpentersville apartment on one night in March of 2012.
There was sufficient enough evidence to show that D.H. was mentally ill during the attacks according to Kane County Associate Judge Clint Hull.
As far back as 2005 there are medical records, and evaluations made by the Kane County Diagnostic Center, that state D.H. is plagued with several mental disorders including: schizo-affective disorder, major depression, bipolar disorder, and a possibility of a borderline personality disorder.
Twenty years before that, beginning when D.H. was eight-years-old, there are psychiatric institutional records showing 28 hospitalizations.
Over the course of his life there are files that list out several different medications he was treated with.
It is normal for a judge to ask a defendant if they are under the influence – drugs, alcohol and/or prescription medications – when the defendant enters a guilty plea. Currently, D.H. told Judge Hull, he is medicated with Depakote and Risperdal – an antipsychotic. The judge then asked if his medication allows him to focus and understand what he was agreeing to.
D.H. answered, "I'd be willing to accept full responsibility."
The adult victim was present during the court proceedings. A couple aided her. All declined comment. Greg Sams, the Kane County Assistant State's Attorney, also declined comment, stating that he would only find it appropriate to do so once Judge Hull has handed down the sentence. The sentencing hearing is set for mid-October.
D.H. will not be eligible for probation for two of the charges: attempted murder and predatory criminal sexual assault. For the attempted murder charge he faces a minimum prison sentence of six years and a maximum of 30 years – and a possible 60 year extended sentence. On the sexual assault charge D.H. will face six to 60 years in prison.
A minimum of 85 percent of the sentences must be served and they are to be served consecutively.
The incident unfolded when D.H. was staying overnight in the home of a male acquaintance. The male was not in the home when D.H. entered the bedroom of an adult female, stabbed her dog and bludgeoned her with a claw hammer – it is unclear as to which attack occurred first.
He left the woman's bedroom and entered her eight-year-old stepdaughter's room. He brought the child into the woman's room, showed her what he had done, and threatened to do the same to her if she did not let him do what we wanted with her. He then raped the child.
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