Westmont woman accused of shooting at police found not guilty

A Westmont woman charged with firing her husband's handgun at a police officer who responded to her 911 call has been cleared of all charges.

DuPage County Judge Robert Miller found Heidi Till, 49, not guilty of three counts of attempted first-degree murder and not guilty by reason of insanity on three charges of aggravated discharge of a firearm.

During Tuesday's bench trial, Miller said he did not believe Till intended to kill Westmont Sgt. James Schlicher when she fired a handgun in the officer's direction on June 1, 2012.

Miller said his decision was based largely on the fact Till fired only one shot toward the officer, rather than “firing over and over.”

In addition, crime scene technicians could not find either the bullet authorities said Till fired in the officer's direction or two other bullets she was accused of firing that day.

Miller did find that prosecutors proved beyond a reasonable doubt the three counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, but found Till not guilty by reason of insanity because she lacked the capacity to appreciate the criminality of her actions when she fired the weapon.

Miller also reviewed reports from a forensic psychiatrist and a forensic psychologist, which he said “almost mirrored each other” in diagnosing Till as bipolar and suffering from depression with psychotic features.

According to a seven-page stipulation, much of which was read in court by Miller, Till called 911 around 1:30 p.m. on June 1, 2012, and threatened to kill herself.

Miller said officers arrived within minutes to find Till, wearing only a T-shirt, sitting on her back patio with a loaded handgun.

According to the stipulation read by Miller, Schlicher said he attempted to calm Till and asked her several times to put the gun down and come off the porch to talk to him. She twice fired bullets in the direction of nearby buildings and would alternate laughing and crying.

At one point, Schlicher asked Till to sit on the lawn with him and use his phone to call her brother. It was at that time, Schlicher testified in the stipulation, that Till went back up the porch stairs, retrieved the gun and fired a shot in “(his) direction.”

Both Schlicher and officer Dan Dewar then returned fire, striking Till once in the mouth and six times in the back.

Till was hospitalized for nearly three months and then confined to her home for a month because of an unspecified medical condition. She was released after posting $5,000 bail.

Till will now be evaluated by the Department of Human Services to decide what, if any, treatment is necessary.

Her attorney, Jeff Kendall, said Till has been treated continuously for the past four years and has committed no crimes during that time. She is now stable, he said, and taking the appropriate medication.

Till declined to comment after Miller's ruling but Kendall complimented the judge.

“Obviously we think the judge made the correct ruling. It was a tragic day, unfortunately,” Kendall said outside the courtroom. “Mental illness was driving the actions of that day. Thank goodness (Till) is here today because it could have been a lot worse. She was shot seven times, once in the face and six times in the back and she's here.”

Schlicher, reached on social media, did not comment on the judge's ruling.