Former Gilberts man takes plea deal in murder case
A former Gilberts man has pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of second-degree murder in the 2010 death of his roommate and faces a punishment ranging from probation to up to 20 years in prison when sentenced in July.
Su Won Kil, 50, now of Schaumburg, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the August 2010 shooting death of his roommate, Dae Hae Kwak, a South Korean national whom Kil allowed to temporarily move into his Gilberts townhouse on the 300 block of Evergreen Circle about eight months beforehand.
After numerous delays and several judges, Kil was set for trial in July.
But after a private conference with defense attorney Patrick Crimmins, prosecutors and Judge Clint Hull, Kil pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
According to prosecutors, Kil allowed Kwak to live with him, but in July 2010 asked Kwak to move out. Kwak refused and stayed in the townhouse and on Aug. 18, 2010, a verbal argument turned physical.
During the confrontation, prosecutors said Kwak displayed and used a stun gun and Kil drew a .38 caliber handgun and shot Kwak, killing him. Kil then called authorities and waited for them to come to the scene.
Kwak, a 61-year-old who worked as an independent cabdriver, began staying with Kil after he went to the Cornerstone Church, 1001 Summit St., in Elgin. Kil, a church choir member who had recently retired as an information technology worker at Sherman Hospital in Elgin, volunteered to help Kwak.
Kil entered a "cold" or "blind" plea in which a defendant admits guilt without having an agreed-upon sentence with prosecutors and instead leaves it up to a judge.
Crimmins declined to comment on Wednesday, but had previously argued Kil was defending himself.
"This, at the very least, is a self-defense case," Crimmins said in 2010 after a court hearing. "He believes he was defending himself, struggling for his own survival."
Hull will sentence Kil on July 18 and under state law if Kil is sentenced to prison, he can have his sentence cut in half for good behavior.
If Kil was convicted of first-degree murder and the jury determined he fired the fatal shot, he would have faced a sentence of 45 years to 65 years and would have to serve all of it.
Kil remains free on $35,000 bond. Kwak's death was Gilberts first homicide since 2007, when Frank Hill killed his girlfriend and burned down her townhouse.