A former Lake in the Hills woman has been charged with threatening to harm the McHenry County state’s attorney, saying she would drag her by her hair and was coming for her, while also threatening a former state’s attorney.
Michelle M. Cappello, 30, of Robbins and formerly of Lake in the Hills, was charged with one count of threatening a public official, a Class 4 felony.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court alleges Cappello made Facebook posts threatening to batter McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi Freese.
Cappello also tagged Freese’s personal Facebook profile in the February 6 public online post, the complaint said.
“Randi Freese IM GOING TO DRAG U BY YOUR HAIR FOR THE REST OF UR LIFE. I HOPE YOUR SCALP FALLS OFF U GRIMY B—-. UR MINE,” Cappello said in the post.
The complaint said Cappello commented on the same post the following day saying she still meant it. “Still serious,” she said before making another comment that said, “WHICH JUDGE TRYNA SIGN THIS WARRANT.”
The complaint said an interview was conducted and Cappello admitted to making the threat to Freese.
In another Facebook post made the same day, Cappello referenced former McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally.
“Pat Kenney REMEBER WHEN I ASKED U TO LET MY HUSBAND GET DRUG COURT. YAAAAAHHHHHH I DOOOOO. IM COMING FOR U B—-,” she said.
Cappello’s husband was Christopher Cappello, of McHenry. He was sentenced in April 2019 to eight years in the Illinois Department of Corrections while Kenneally was the state’s attorney.
He was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to a Class X felony after the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office found him with 88 baggies containing approximately 40 grams of heroin during a traffic stop in October 2017.
Christopher Cappello died in May 2021 at age 36 and his obituary described his wife as the “love of his life.”
Michelle Cappello, when she was 24, was sentenced in October 2019 to more than seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after she was found in possession of heroin while on probation for a previous heroin charge.
Cappello currently resides at Lydia Care Center in Robbins, which is a long-term care mental health facility. She mentions in videos posted online that she has schizophrenia.
In one video, she references “demons trying to spiritually attack me,” being “hunted” and “followed” as well as her prior drug use.
A day before posting the threats to Kenneally and Freese, Cappello posted a screenshot from her TikTok account that mentioned President Donald Trump and his Secret Service “placing her in a hospital.”
“DONALD TRUMP AND HIS SECRET SERVICE PLACED ME IN A HOSPITAL THAT THREATENED TO KELL ME, STOLE FROM ME, SMOKING CRACK IN MY FACE, AND BEAT ME UP. IN FRONT OF STAFF. IVE ASKED TO BE REMOVED BECAUSE THEYRE THREATENING ME AND THEY ARENT COMING. I AM JESUS WIFE AND I DONT TAKE THESE THREATS LIGHTLY,” the post said.
Court records show an active arrest warrant is outstanding for Cappello for the threats after charges were filed on Wednesday.