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CHICAGO - A Kane County jury has convicted an Elgin man after prosecutors said he and two others kidnapped and brutally assaulted a woman they knew in 2023.
What we know:
State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser announced Wednesday that 34-year-old Darnell L. Rhodes was found guilty of aggravated kidnapping inflicting great bodily harm, a Class X felony.
Darnell L. Rhodes
Prosecutors said Rhodes, along with Lloyd D. Hayes Jr. and Roger A. Heaps, kidnapped the woman between March 13 and March 14, 2023. The trio threatened her with a knife and drove her to one of their homes, where they bound her with electrical cords.
During the ordeal, prosecutors said the woman was beaten and stabbed multiple times. She suffered a fractured rib, a fractured finger, stab wounds to her legs, and blunt force injuries to her head and face that left both eyes swollen shut.
What they're saying:
Assistant State's Attorney Mark Stajdohar called the case "one of the ugliest unprovoked attacks I have seen in 25 years as a prosecutor."
"All three of these men deserve to be in prison because of their heinous actions, and our communities are safer with them off the streets," Stajdohar said in a statement. "The victim, who is still recovering from the lasting impact of her injuries, has demonstrated remarkable courage and resilience each day as she works to rebuild her life. I hope that she and her family can find some measure of relief in this verdict."
What's next:
Rhodes is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 25. He faces six to 30 years in prison and remains in custody at the Kane County jail.
Co-defendant Heaps pleaded guilty in January 2024 to armed violence and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The case against Hayes is ongoing. He faces 11 felony counts, including attempted murder, with a court date set for Sept. 12.
The Source: The information in this article was provided by the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office.