State: Elgin murder suspect has not paid home monitoring fees
Prosecutors want to increase the bond for Lacorbek Benion, the 18-year-old Elgin man who is accused of working with his mom to kill his teenage rival almost two years ago in Elgin.
Benion faces first-degree murder charges in the death of 17-year-old John W. Keyes III on Nov. 8, 2009.
Benion has been on electronic home monitoring since April 2010 after a judge reduced his bail from $3 million to $250,000, meaning he needed to post $25,000 to be free pending trial.
Benion posted bond, but has not paid anything toward the $2,700 home monitoring costs he has amassed since then. The home monitoring fee is $5 a day.
“As of Oct. 17, 2011, the defendant has not paid one penny toward this balance. This failure is in violation of the court's order,” wrote Kane County Assistant State's Attorney Greg Sams in a motion this week to Judge Allen Anderson to increase Benion's bail amount.
A message left for Benion's defense attorney, Van Richards, was not immediately returned.
Anderson will rule on Sams's motion on Dec. 8.
Benion's mother, Timera Branch of Streamwood, was convicted of using her car to run down Keyes from behind and ram him into an apartment building.
She faces 20 to 60 years in prison on Nov. 9 when Anderson will sentence her for first-degree murder.
Benion is accused of pulling up in a separate car and hitting the mortally wounded Keyes with a metal baseball bat. If convicted, he also faces up to 60 years in prison.