A Naperville man who stabbed the parents of a teenage girl who had reportedly made fun of his looks at a party as a revenge for the insult. He pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder and home invasion.
Zachary Machnikowski, 21-year-old, pleaded guilty to the two felony counts during a hearing in DuPage County court.
In exchange for the guilty pleas, prosecutors agreed to drop other charges against Machnikowski, who has been in custody since the night of the attack on March 31, 2015.
According to official reports, on the night of the attack, Machnikowski had been at a party when, according to him, the teenage girl allegedly made disparaging comments about his appearance and called him ugly.
Assistant State’s Attorney Tim Diamond said on a report that the suspect then went to her home on Iroquois Avenue in Naperville and entered through an unlocked back door. Machnikowski took a knife from a kitchen block and then entered the bedroom of the girl’s parents and attacked the sleeping couple.
The father struggled with Machnikowski and was able to knock the knife away, at which point Machnikowski fled.
By then, the mother had reached a neighbor’s and called police, who said they found the blood-spattered Machnikowski hiding in some bushes outside the home. During the struggle, the authorities found his cap and phone, which had been left in the bedroom.
Although the man and woman suffered wounds, the injuries were not life-threatening.
The attempted first-degree murder and home invasion counts to which Machnikowski pleaded guilty are both Class X felonies, and each carries a six to 30-year prison sentence.
Because of the circumstances, the sentences will be consecutive and will have to be served at 85 percent, Diamond said.
He faces up to 60 years in prison, and a minimum of 12 years under the plea outlined in court.
Source: Daily Herald, Daily Mail
