Not guilty plea in St. Charles home invasion

An Elburn man pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he forced his way into a former girlfriend’s apartment in St. Charles last December and tried to kill her in front of their toddler son.

Mario M. Bocanegra, 29, faces charges of attempted murder, home invasion and intimidation of a witness for the Dec. 17 attack on the 0-99 block of North 13th Avenue.

Police say Bocanegra threatened to kill the woman, threw her to the ground, punched her and slammed her head on the floor, all in the presence of their 2-year-old son before running off.

This offense, authorities said, occurred while he was out on bond for an Oct. 11 domestic battery in Bartlett.

Bocanegra’s mother, Carine Ridley, attended Thursday’s brief hearing and said her son, who turned himself in a month after being charged, had a different view of what happened.

Ridley said her son was falsely accused and her son’s ex-girlfriend baited Bocanegra to come to the residence, saying she had to work and needed someone to watch their son.

Ridley acknowledged her son had issues with the woman in the past, but stressed that he didn’t try to kill her and the whole case was based on “he said, she said” in an effort to win sole custody of the child.

“She’s been waiting to do this for a while,” Ridley said. “I’m not saying he’s an angel, but that’s the problem. He has a background. (The police) all know him, why not stick it to him?”

Bocanegra was being held at the Kane County jail on $250,000 bail. He would need to pay $25,000 to be released. He is due in court again on May 12.

Bocanegra faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.