Judge: St. Charles Township man accused of dad's murder unfit for trial
An autistic, bipolar, schizophrenic man accused of killing his father outside his St. Charles Township home was ruled Thursday to be unfit to stand trial and ordered to be sent for inpatient treatment.
Authorities have up to a year to return John Shenko, 22, to fitness to stand trial on charges that he murdered his father, Kevin J. Shenko, 60, by stabbing him more than 100 times outside their home on the 7N200 block of Longridge Drive on Aug. 13.
Kane County Judge John Barsanti made the ruling after reading an evaluation report and testimony from Dr. Michael Oliverio, a licensed clinical psychologist at the Kane County Diagnostic Center.
Oliverio concluded that Shenko, who had been described in previous court testimony as autistic and bipolar, also was schizophrenic and unfit to stand trial.
“It was clear there were features of a psychotic disorder present,” Oliverio said, nothing Shenko's behavior varied based on his medication levels and that he had to be placed back on suicide watch on Sept. 18.
Oliverio also noted that while being held at the jail, Shenko had urinated into his own open wounds, wiped feces on his wounds, washed his hands in the toilet, told the jail staff the Bible told him to “hurt himself for others” and made a comment alluding to “dying in custody.”
“My opinion remains the same — he is unfit to stand trial,” Oliverio testified.
Officials at the state's Department of Human Services will determine Shenko's location and inpatient treatment and monitoring.
Thursday's hearing came after a court motion arguing for an evaluation at the diagnostic center. In the motion, prosecutors provided a chilling account from the first Kane County Sheriff's deputy who arrived outside the Shenko home on Aug. 13.
The deputy saw the men covered in blood and Shenko straddling his father's naked body repeating, “Die, die, die,” according to court records. The deputy ordered Shenko off his father, who was not breathing or moving and had more than 100 stab wounds. “I'm not getting off him, you're going to have to shoot me,” Shenko replied.
The deputy twice fired his Taser at Shenko, handcuffed him, asked his name and if anyone else was in the home. “No one else is here. My name is God. I killed Satan. You're going to have to trust me, you're going to have to believe in me,” Shenko said, according to the court motion.
If restored to fitness and convicted of his father's murder, Shenko faces 20 to 60 years in prison with no chance of early release. Until Thursday, he had been held at the Kane County jail on $2 million bail.
Shenko is next due in court on Oct. 26 for a fitness report.