14 years for Crystal Lake townhouse fire, attempted murder
A 47-year-old woman was sentenced to 14 years in prison Thursday after being convicted of attempted murder and aggravated arson earlier this year.
Carrie M. Gil must serve 85 percent of the sentence for torching her boyfriend's Crystal Lake townhouse in September 2010 while he was inside, causing $87,000 damage and killing the man's cat. The man escaped with a burn on his leg, but no serious injuries.
Gil could have received up to 30 years in prison and McHenry County Assistant State's Attorney David Johnston argued that Gil's premeditation mandated a strong sentence.
Johnston thanked the Crystal Lake police and fire departments for their work, along with the state fire marshal, the state crime lab and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
“They all played important roles in this case,” said Johnston.
A jury deliberated about 3½ hours before convicting Gil, who had been held without bail since December 2010,
In a three-day trial in May, prosecutors argued that Gil, who was unemployed, planned to kill her boyfriend after he discovered she racked up a $15,000 balance on a credit card that she secretly opened in his name.
Prosecutors also called experts to testify that Gil's handwriting matched a note found at the scene containing “death spells” that spoke of killing an enemy by fire. The note also matched word-for-word computer documents found on Gil's computer.
Defense attorney Mike Bianucci unsuccessfully argued at that there was no physical evidence, such as DNA or fingerprints, that linked Gil to the blaze.
He also asked Judge Sharon Prather to issue Gil the minimum six years and filed an appeal on her behalf.
“A woman with a complete lack of criminal history and her victim in this case had no injuries, I thought a minimum sentence was necessary or close to the minimum,” Bianucci said. “The victim in this case was not hurt at all. If this case doesn't say minimum, I don't know which one does.”