From the State’s Attorney:
MARK ALEX FOUND GUILTY OF ATTEMPTED FIRST DEGREE MURDER AND AGGRAVATED DOMESTIC BATTERY AFTER A WEEK-LONG JURY TRIAL
The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office announces that on April 7, 2025, Mark Alex, 60, of Crystal Lake, Illinois, was found guilty on two counts of Attempted First Degree Murder and two counts of Aggravated Domestic Battery.
A jury reached their verdict after 53 minutes of deliberation at the conclusion of a week-long trial before the Honorable Judge Mark Gerhardt.
On March 5, 2022, at approximately 3:30 pm, officers of the Crystal Lake Police Department responded to a 911 call where the caller had reported being stabbed by her estranged husband.
On scene, the victim was determined to have sustained multiple injuries to her head.
Responding Officer David Lang began immediate medical attention until first responders from the Crystal Lake Fire and Rescue arrived.
The victim was immediately rushed to Northwestern Hospital in Huntley where further medical treatment was provided.
Evidence and testimony at trial showed that Alex had stopped at a Home Depot, where he purchased both a demolition hammer and a hatchet, before arriving at the victim’s apartment for what was supposed to be a child parenting-time exchange.
Prior to entering, Alex removed the packaging from both the hammer and axe, and less than forty-five minutes later attacked the victim.
Able to fight him off, though sustaining numerous severe wounds, she was able to call 911 after Alex had left the apartment.
Following the attack, Alex donned a mask and stopped at a nearby Meijers to purchase Motrin, Tylenol and a new jacket.
Alex was eventually apprehended by officers of the Crystal Lake and Algonquin Police Departments approximately an hour later in Algonquin after his car was located in a nearby hotel parking lot.
McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi Freese commends the strength the victim showed in fighting off Alex and for her courage to testify and recount the horrific ordeal to a jury.
“While the method of the attack was uncommonly brutal in this case, there was also a classic escalating cycle of violence that was readily identifiable as well.
“As a society, we recognize the need to stop this dangerous cycle from its inception,” Freese stated.
Freese recognizes the hard work done by the multiple officers and detectives involved from the Crystal Lake Police Department.
This case was successfully prosecuted at trial by Chief of Staff Ashley Romito and First Assistant State’s Attorney Ashur Y. Youash. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 5, 2025.
