A Deerfield man was sentenced Thursday to 65 years in prison for the murder of his wife after he held her hostage and stabbed her in their Deerfield home in 2018.
Gary A. Kamen, 59, of the 1000 block of Peachtree Lane in Deerfield, was initially charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
He was later charged with five counts of murder, two counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault with a weapon and two counts of aggravated armed kidnapping.
Police were called to Kamen’s Deerfield home in the 1000 block of Peachtree Lane around 3:40 p.m. on September 21, 2018, for a domestic dispute call.
Officers found Gary Kamen’s wife, Karyn Kamen, 53, significantly injured from multiple stab wounds, police said.
Paramedics transported the woman to an area hospital where she was in critical condition and died the following day.
Prosecutors said that Kamen admitted to investigators that he held his wife hostage for several hours in their home and stabbed her.
Court records show he also allegedly sexually assaulted the woman.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office called the case “brutal and heinous.”
Lake County Major Crime Task Force Spokesman Christopher Covelli said at the time that Kamen was taken into custody and placed under special watch after “making statements.”
A judge ordered him held in the Lake County Jail on a $10 million bond.
Assistant state’s attorneys Lauren Kalcheim Rothenberg and Scott Hoffert later argued Kamen was a threat to the family and a judge then ordered him held without bond.
Kamen on June 1 entered into a negotiated plea deal with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office.
He pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder in exchange for the rest of his charges being dismissed, court records show.
After the plea, defense attorney James Schwarzbach asked the court to have Kamen undergo a mental health evaluation as part of the pre-sentence investigation.
Prior to Thursday’s sentencing hearing, prosecutors and Schwarzbach reached an agreement that Kamen would be sentenced to 65 years in prison.
Lake County Judge Daniel Shanes accepted the order and sentenced Kamen to the 65-year term, which will be served at 100%.
Kamen faced a minimum of 20 years in prison with a potential life sentence.
Shanes told Kamen Thursday that he found the sentence to be appropriate in light of the “cold-blooded nature” of the crime.
“In days like this, in court, there are no winners. Everyone loses. Your children, by your hand, lost their mother, and you lost,” Shanes said.
“The sentence in this case accounts for the heinous nature of the crime. The community remained safe from Mr. Kamen while he remained in custody for nearly four years, and we know the family has some relief that this part of their journey is finally over,” Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said.