Homicides in Lake County increase in 2007

The number of homicides in Lake County last year exceeded the 2006 level, marking only the third such increase in the last decade.

Official records show 16 people died violently at the hands of others in 2007, up from 11 the previous year.

Lake County Coroner Dr. Richard Keller said the increase may be a statistical blip, or something worse.

"I do not know that you can call it a trend after just one year, but it certainly could be," Keller said. "Perhaps our society is not coping as well with its stressors as it could."

Males were the victims in nine cases in 2007, while females died in seven.

More blacks were killed than members of any other racial group, and more victims died from gun shots than by any other means.

People under 30 were most likely to be murder victims, and more people died between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. than during daylight hours.

The youngest murder victim was Skylar Reuter, the unborn daughter of Rhoni Reuter, who was gunned down in her Deerfield apartment.

The oldest was Phyllis Stanley, 79, a Kildeer woman killed by her husband, John Stanley, in a murder-suicide.

Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran said he believed the sagging economy is one factor.

"There is no doubt that the economy is at least in part responsible for increasing violence," he said. "People without hope can make bad decisions."

Over the last 10 years, murders have increased in the county over the previous year's toll only in 2007, 2003 and 2001.

Since 1980, the largest number of murders in a year has been 25, reached in 1982 and 1994.

The number of murders was 16 or greater in 18 of those 27 years.

Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller said one murder case is one too many, but stressed the numbers have to be viewed with some perspective.

"In 1990, when I became state's attorney, we had 18 murders," Waller said. "That is two more than we had last year, even though the population has increased by more than 200,000 people."

Waller said he credits aggressive enforcement of domestic violence laws and the crackdown on street gangs as mitigating factors.

Arrests were made in nine of the murder cases in 2007, while six remain open investigations and one suspect committed suicide.

Keller said he believes the loss of funding for the anti-violence group Cease Fire, which had an office in Lake County for the past two years, may be an ominous sign for the future.

"I certainly believe that the people from Cease Fire were effective in curbing some potentially violent situations in the past few years," Keller said. "Now that we won't have that presence any longer, you wonder if things may get worse."