Elgin teacher attack stays a juvenile case

The 16-year-old accused of attempted murder in a January knife attack on an Elgin teacher will be tried in juvenile court, a Cook County judge ruled Wednesday.

Judge Paul Stralka said Angel Facio's chaotic home life in Elgin, a history of parental neglect and unanswered cries for help all factored into his decision.

"The facts in this case are horrific," Stralka said in explaining why he would not send the case to adult court.

On Jan. 18, Facio attacked Elgin High teacher Carolyn Gilbert, stabbing her in the head and neck with a steak knife, police said.

Gilbert was stabbed at least seven times, Stralka said. She sustained puncture wounds to her right eye, the back of her neck, above her eyebrows and behind her right ear, he said.

Gilbert's right eye was removed Feb. 1. She now wears a prosthetic piece.

Though the attack was "very aggressive," Stralka said Facio's motive was to get attention from his parents.

Facio's mother, Sinthia, was frequently intoxicated and has a history of cocaine use, Stralka said.

Sinthia Facio is being held in the Kane County jail as she faces felony possession of cocaine charges.

"It's clear the minor intended the attack to incur the attention of his bickering parents," he said.

Facio did not suffer physical abuse at home, Stralka said, "but his parents were at best neglectful while seeking to fulfill their own desires."

Stralka also said Elgin High officials might have been able to prevent the attack.

Last fall, Elgin High chess coach Patrick McCarthy found a personal journal belonging to Facio that detailed the teen's troubled mental state, Stralka said.

The journal described thoughts of suicide, his parents fighting and his mother's drug use, Stralka said.

McCarthy encouraged Sinthia Facio to read the journal and get help for her son. Unwilling to violate her son's privacy, she didn't read the journal until after the Jan. 18 attack.

Just a week before the attack on Gilbert, Facio was issued a school citation for writing profanities on another student's face.

"It's unfortunate this unusual conduct had not incurred a school investigation," Stralka said. "This is another example of schools becoming more fortress-like and less centers of learning and safety."

Facio has no criminal history, but Stralka did allow information from two pending Kane County cases to influence his decision.

Facio is accused as an adult of sexually assaulting an 8-year-old neighbor, in August. He faces felony charges as an adult in that attack.

Then, just two days before the attack on Gilbert, Facio attacked a 13-year girl, police said. Grabbing her and throwing her to the ground, Facio placed one hand around her throat and forced his other hand into her mouth before the girl escaped, authorities said.

Facio also faces felony charges in that incident.

Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Kevin Frey in February had asked Stralka to consider transferring Facio to adult court to face charges in the attack on the teacher.

Stralka denied those motions Wednesday, granting extended juvenile jurisdiction. Under this 1998 law, juveniles who have committed serious crimes receive both juvenile detention and an adult prison sentence. If the juvenile does not commit a new offense by age 21, he does not have to serve the adult sentence.

A juvenile sentence with an adult sentencing provision will "sufficiently protect the community," Stralka said.

Facio's next court date is May 6 in Rolling Meadows. He is being held in a Chicago juvenile detention facility.