Naperville Man Gets 10 Years In 2019 Stabbing Of Wife

A Naperville man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in the attempted stabbing death of his wife.

In a press release, Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow announced yesterday that Patrick O’Brien, 63, of Naperville, was sentenced by Circuit Judge John Connor to 10 years in prison in the attempted first degree murder of his wife. O’Brien was found guilty August 29, 2023, of Attempt First Degree Murder (a Class X felony) and Aggravated Domestic Battery (a Class 2 felony) following a bench trial.

On December 21, 2019, O’Brien, who was separated from his wife, returned to his home at 2204 Popple Court in Naperville to gather some personal items when he found her in the kitchen. O’Brien grabbed a large kitchen knife and said something to the effect of “if we’re done, then we’re done,” prompting his wife to flee to the rear patio door of her neighbor’s home, screaming for them to open the door.

Running toward her with the knife, O’Brien yelled “you’re faster than I thought” and pushed her against the rear wall of the neighbors’ residence. As his wife held her hands up in an attempt to fend off the knife, O’Brien thrust it into her chest area and arm while yelling an expletive at her.

The neighbor was able to open his door just in time to throw O’Brien down to the ground and prevent him from continuing the assault. O’Brien then stabbed himself and threw the knife. The incident was captured on the neighbor’s home surveillance system.

“The brutal attack shown in graphic detail on the home surveillance system captures the gruesome savagery of the attack by a controlling man who decided that if the marriage was over then his wife should die. There is no question that the neighbor’s miraculous intervention saved Mrs. O’Brien’s life,” Glasgow said. “This case bears out the stark reality in domestic violence that the most dangerous time for a survivor is when they leave their partner. Seventy-five percent of domestic violence homicides occur when the victim has left the relationship. Domestic violence is about control and power, and this harrowing near-deadly assault was the attempt at exerting ultimate control.”

O’Brien will receive 38 days credit for time served. The sentence will be served at 85 percent, and he will serve three years of mandatory supervised release.