Friday, December 28, 2012
A look at some of the news that made headlines this year.
It’s been a busy year around Elmhurst, from crime to controversy, and a lot of things in between. Here’s a quick look back at some of this year’s most notable stories: Indian Trail Student Fabricated Story About Being Restrained By Intruder Incident led to a response that "overwhelmed the community," police said. York Swim Coach, English Teacher Quits on the First Day of School Sudden departure of Jim Clarke leaves student athletes in a bind, with their first swim meet in one week. Ella's Story: 'I'm Not Here to Save Her. I'm Here to Take Care of Her' A Family Fun Day fundraiser at York High School helped the Casten family take the next steps for Ella. York High School Athletic Director John Rutter Resigns Elmhurst mayor suggested …
Monday, September 24, 2012
Judge calls Cheryl Luchetta's actions "inconceivable."
In a calm, if not dispassionate voice, Cheryl Luchetta told the 911 operator a man had slashed her throat and done something to her son. Police and paramedics arrived to find the boy breathing, but unable to talk, while his eyes moved around unfocused. For 45 minutes, Luchetta told an Elmhurst police officer about the drug dealer who slashed her throat and gave pills to her 7-year-old son the night before. Confronted about inconsistencies in her story, Luchetta admitted to the officer that it was her who gave her son as many as a half dozen Tylenol PM pills, as well as her own prescription drugs for anxiety, in June 2011. "She brought him to death's door and dropped him off," Assistant State's Attorney Demetri Demopoulos said, calling …
Sunday, September 23, 2012
More than a year of court proceedings will wrap up Monday for Cheryl Luchetta, who pleaded guilty this summer to aggravated battery of a child to avoid attempted murder charges.
Cheryl Luchetta, the Elmhurst mother who pleaded guilty to aggravated battery to a child after she gave her young son a potentially lethal combination of drugs, is scheduled to be sentenced Monday, Sept. 24. It's been more than a year since Luchetta gave her son, then 7 years old, a mix of prescription and over-the-counter medications, then slit her own throat only to wake up the next morning and call 911 after finding the boy unresponsive. Since the crime, she has undergone mental evaluations, completed divorce procedings and had her bond increased because prosecutors said she poses a "grave risk" to her son and ex-husband if released. Visit Elmhurst Patch for coverage of the sentencing. Click here for all the background on this case. Let…
Friday, September 7, 2012
Cheryl Luchetta faces six to 30 years in prison.
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Friday, September 7, 2012
A Sept. 24 sentencing has been set for the Elmhurst mother who pleaded guilty to aggravated battery to a child in connection with a June 2011 incident involving her son. Cheryl Luchetta had been charged with attempted murder after police and prosecutors said she drugged her then 7-year-old before cutting her own throat in their Elmhurst home. She awoke the next morning and called 911 to tell police an ex-boyfriend broke into the home, poisoned her son and cut her neck, according to records. Luchetta pleaded guilty in June to the aggravated battery charge in a deal with prosecutors. She has not been released from custody since her 2011 arrest. In May, DuPage County Judge Daniel Guerin increased her bail to $1 million because he said she …
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Luchetta pleaded guilty to drugging her then 7-year-old son last summer.
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Thursday, June 28, 2012
Cheryl Luchetta of Elmhurst pleaded guilty on Thursday to charges of aggravated battery to a child as part of a deal with prosecutors to dismiss attempted murder charges, the Daily Herald is reporting. Luchetta, 42, admitted that she drugged her son last year because she "couldn't bear to lose custody of him" to her ex-husband, the article states. Luchetta filed for divorce in 2008, but the process took a major turn on June 9, 2011, when she gave her son a lethal dose of valium, diazepam and Tylenol PM, then slit her own throat. The divorce was settled without a trial in February, while Luchetta was being held in DuPage County Jail on attempted murder charges. Her ex-husband, Matthew Luchetta, now has full custody of the boy. Court …
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Reports say she is at a high risk of causing harm to her son and ex-husband if released.
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Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Prosecutors are hoping a higher bail set Monday will make it more difficult for an Elmhurst mom to get out of jail while she awaits trial on charges she tried to kill her son. DuPage County Judge Daniel Guerin increased Cheryl Luchetta's bail to $1 million on Monday after hearing an audio recording of her threatening her ex-husband and demanded to speak to her son, The Daily Herald is reporting. Prosecutors say she has violated multiple times a court order prohibiting her from contacting them. Guerin also ordered her to stay more than a mile from the boy if she should happen to be released. Assistant State’s Attorney Cathy DeLaMar last week filed a request to have Luchetta's bail raised to $3 million. It formerly was $300,000. Her erratic …
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Prosecutors want Cheryl Luchetta’s bail raised.
Since being jailed in June, Cheryl Luchetta has improperly contacted her ex-husband and son, been placed in jail segregation three times for rules violations and might be a greater risk to cause harm than ever before, prosecutors said. Assistant State’s Attorney Cathy DeLaMar recently filed a request to have Luchetta’s bail raised from $300,000 to $3 million as a way to assure she remains in DuPage County Jail through the remainder of her attempted murder case. Elmhurst police arrested Luchetta last year after she drugged her then 7-year-old son and then cut her own throat. The boy now lives with his father, Matthew, after he and Luchetta settled their divorce case in February. Luchetta told investigators she tried to kill her son with a …
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Psychological report finished in Elmhurst resident Cheryl Luchetta's criminal case.
The Elmhurst mother accused of drugging her son in an apparent murder-suicide attempt is now representing herself in an ongoing divorce case with the boy’s father, court records show. Cheryl Luchetta remains held in DuPage County Jail facing an attempted murder charge connected to the June incident inside her condo, where she is accused of giving a mix of prescription drugs and other medication to her 7-year-old son before cutting her own throat, prosecutors allege. On Thursday, attorneys in the criminal case said they had just received the psychological report ordered at the request of Luchetta’s attorney. The results or contents of the report were not discussed during the brief hearing, but she is scheduled to return to court later this …
Monday, July 18, 2011
Judge has "reasonable belief" Cheryl Luchetta's counsel will pursue insanity defense.
An Elmhurst mother accused of giving her 7-year-old son between five and 15 pills before slitting her own throat last month will undergo a mental evaluation. DuPage County Circuit Court Judge Daniel P. Guerin granted prosecutors' request to order the mental evaluation for Cheryl Luchetta this morning, with the anticipation her counsel will pursue the insanity defense. Luchetta's counsel reaffirmed its stance that the request was premature. Guerin held that, based on state statute, prosecutors could order the evaluation before the defense announced which route it would take in trial. Prosecutors chose Dr. James Murray to conduct the evaluation, which typically takes between four and six weeks. "(Luchetta) told authorities she was depressed…
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
The accused, Cheryl Luchetta, also was in court on Monday for another divorce hearing.
An Elmhurst woman who allegedly attempted to poison her 7-year-old son made a brief appearance in a DuPage County courtroom Tuesday morning. Cheryl Luchetta, 41, appeared before Judge Dan Guerin to set a time for her arraignment. Luchetta was arrested June 8 and charged with attempted murder and one count of aggravated battery to a child. During her few moments before the judge, a handcuffed Luchetta remained silent. Throughout the proceeding, Luchetta’s head was mostly bowed, with her long hair hiding her face. But periodically she looked up and made quick, nervous glances around the room while attorneys discussed evidentiary disclosure and a possible psychological evaluation. The prosecution is calling for a mental evaluation, but …
Tom
4:48 pm on Saturday, October 6, 2012
Hi it's a shame no one pulled the boy from the home before this had to happen especially since there where so many agency's doctors dcfs police all new what the boy was dealing with but did nothing to help him and her more ›