Guilty plea in murder of Bartlett-area attorney

A Chicago man admitted in court Friday to his role in the murder of a retired Bartlett-area attorney who was suffocated with a cushion during an August 2009 home invasion and robbery.

Keith L. Allen, 22, pleaded guilty to felony murder in the death of 82-year-old Carl W. Kuhn. Prosecutors said they will recommend a prison sentence of no more than 50 years in exchange for Allen's admission and testimony against co-defendant Terry Bratcher.

DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said Bratcher smothered Kuhn with a cushion after he and Allen went to the retiree's home in an unincorporated area near Bartlett on Aug. 21, 2009, to steal from the victim's prized gun collection.

Kuhn's death was reported by Bratcher and his mother, who told authorities Kuhn was found unresponsive lying face down on an upstairs guest bed at his residence on the 29W400 block of Schick Road.

Investigators were suspicious of Kuhn's death from the onset, despite his age and history of heart problems. There was no sign of forced entry, but Berlin said the upstairs of his home had been ransacked and a firearm safe was sawed open.

The investigation turned to Allen and Bratcher after Bratcher's mother told police she found guns at her home that she hadn't previously seen. Both men later gave statements to police that led to their arrests.

“Keith Allen did admit there was a plan to go into Carl Kuhn's house and it was going to be some kind of robbery,” Berlin said. “The plan was to just kind of play along with what Bratcher was doing.”

Authorities have said previously that Bratcher's ex-wife once worked for Kuhn, who became close with Bratcher after representing him in various legal matters. According to the allegations, Kuhn let Bratcher into his home the night of the robbery, at which point Bratcher summoned Allen, who was disguised in sunglasses and a bandanna and waiting outside with a gun.

Authorities later recovered about 43 of Kuhn's firearms in a garage at Bratcher's mother's home, along with a circular saw believed to have been used in the robbery, Berlin said.

Bratcher, 44, of West Chicago, remains in the county jail without bond, charged with first-degree murder and home invasion. His next court date is Feb. 28 before Judge Blanche Fawell to enter a plea or set a trial date.

Allen returns to court March 24.