A victim was stabbed with a butcher knife, allegedly by his brother-in-law, who was “lying in wait” before the attack, forcing the victim to leap from a balcony to safety in McHenry Monday evening.
Fernando Contreras-Galvan, 34, of McHenry, was charged with aggravated domestic battery, a Class 2 felony, and aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, a Class 3 felony.
The McHenry Township Fire Protection District and McHenry Police Department responded around 9:30 p.m. Monday to a call of a person stabbed in the 3600 block of James Street in McHenry.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court alleges that Conteras-Galvan stabbed his brother-in-law in the left arm with a large butcher knife, causing a large laceration.
Contreras-Galvan and the victim live in the same apartment where the incident occurred.
Court documents said Contreras-Galvan’s brother-in-law and sister were home when Contreras-Galvan came back to the residence with pizza.
Contreras-Galvan waited outside the bedroom door with the knife hidden in his hand and yelled for the victim to come out by attempting to lure him with the pizza, court documents and prosecutors said.
His sister came out of the bedroom and Contreras-Galvan immediately barged in and stabbed the victim, court documents said.
The victim jumped off the balcony to get to safety and Contreras-Galvan refused to come out when officers arrived.
Officers arrested Contreras-Galvan and transported him to the McHenry County Jail.
The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain him pending trial and McHenry County Judge Cynthia Lamb granted the request during an Initial Appearance Court hearing on Tuesday.
Lamb said there were no conditions of release that could mitigate the real and present threat that Contreras-Galvan poses.
“Defendant came home with pizza, laid in wait for victim with a knife in his hand,” she said, noting that Contreras-Galvan’s risk score was a 9 out of 10. “Defendant has an escalating violent history.”
Contreras-Galvan was previously convicted in January of domestic battery against the same victim.
He was sentenced and was currently on conditional discharge in the case. He was ordered not to violate any laws, in addition to comply with other requirements, but has not been compliant with his sentence, the judge said.
Contreras-Galvan also struck the same victim on the head with the butt of a knife in a 2010 case.
“GPS will not keep him away from other places the victim will be at. Electronic Home Monitoring would not be sufficient since this occurred in the home. If he lived somewhere else, electronic home monitoring would not be sufficient as well since he is able to leave at certain times and would not let the court know if he leaves. Defendant fails or chooses not to abide by the laws of this state and previous court orders,” Lamb said in her decision to detain him.
McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi Freese called the incident “calculated violence.”
“According to the evidence presented, the defendant used the simple act of sharing a meal to lure the victim into a brutal knife attack. Those who commit violent crimes in McHenry County should expect to be held accountable, and our office will continue to fight for victims and the safety of our community,” Freese said.
Contreras-Galvan is scheduled to appear in court again on August 11 for a status of preliminary hearing.