Antioch Township murder trial on track to begin April 29
The trial of an Antioch Township man accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend could begin at the end of April.
Michael Axtell, 41, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the October 2012 death of Tammy Stone, 40. Axtell has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is held in Lake County jail on $3 million bond.
Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Eric Kalata and defense attorney Katherine Hutch told Judge Victoria Rossetti on Tuesday that both sides are prepared to go to trial as expected on April 29.
Kalata said the only piece of evidence missing at this point is DNA evidence of a bite mark that was discovered on Stone's body during an autopsy.
“The crime lab indicated they will have it within two weeks,” Kalata told Rossetti.
Police said Stone had phoned her daughter about 10 p.m. on Oct. 4 to say she was in a physical altercation with Axtell at her home in the 26000 block of West Bond Avenue.
The call prompted the teen to check on her mother, and saw Stone with a black eye, police said. The unidentified daughter then got into an argument with Axtell that caused no serious injuries, authorities said, but forced her to retreat to an attached garage to calm down.
Outside, the daughter heard a loud “thud” from inside the residence and went back inside, police said. The daughter found Stone unresponsive in a bedroom, and that Axtell had fled the home, police said.
The daughter phoned police for help, authorities said, and Axtell was arrested about 90 minutes later as he was leaving a wooded area near the home.
Antioch paramedics took the victim to the Northern Illinois Medical Center in McHenry where she died of her injuries, police said.