Michael Spina, a 65-year-old Aurora man, had been prohibited by the court from going anywhere near his estranged wife. But in January 2020, he decided to break into her home, grab a knife, and stalk around the home looking for her.
He will now spend the next 19 years in prison.
Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie L. Mosser announced that Spina agreed to a sentence of 19 years of imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections in exchange for a guilty plea to the offense of home invasion, Class X felony.
Judge Salvatore LoPiccolo Jr. accepted the plea.
On January 25, 2020 at about 5 a.m., Spina forced his way into his estranged wife’s home, acquired an 8-inch knife and walked around the residence searching for and calling out for her. The victim, who believed Spina was there to kill her, had seen him walking in the yard, called 911 and then hid from him while she waited for police to arrive. Spina was under a court order to stay away from the victim and the residence.
In accordance with Illinois law, Spina is eligible for day-for-day sentencing. He receives credit for 1,147 days served in the Kane County jail, where he had been held since his arrest in lieu of $100,000 bail.
“It is my hope that this guilty plea and prison sentence allows time for recovery and healing from the fear the victim experienced as she hid in her home, a place she deserved to feel safe,” commented Assistant State’s Attorney Hillary Sadler.
In addition to the prison term, Judge LoPiccolo ordered that Spina must stay away from the victim and her residence for two years once he is released from prison.
