Defendant , victim conspired to thwart trial, prosecutors say

An Antioch Township woman fled the state earlier this week to avoid testifying against the man police say raped and tried to kill her, prosecutors said Friday.

And there is evidence Christopher Schneider encouraged the victim to do just that in more than 500 tape-recorded phone calls between the two, prosecutors said.

Schneider, 37, is charged with attempted murder, aggravated criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual assault and aggravated domestic battery in the June 30, 2007 attack.

Police said he beat the woman with a baseball bat and his fists, menaced her with a reciprocating saw and raped her before taking her to Condell Medical Center in Libertyville the following day.

At the hospital, the woman told police about the attack, and Schneider was arrested after leading police on a chase and barricading himself in his brother's house.

The woman suffered a broken arm, a dislocated elbow and numerous cuts and bruises.

His trial was to begin July 21, but the 26-year-old victim did not appear in Circuit Judge George Bridges' courtroom as a subpoena had ordered.

Bridges ordered her to be arrested, and she was found late Wednesday at her mother's home in North Vernon, Ind., a community south of Indianapolis.

Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Victor O'Block told Bridges on Friday that during the search for the woman, phone calls between she and Schneider that were recorded by the Lake County jail revealed a plot to derail the trial. Anyone who makes or receives a call from the jail is notified before the conversation begins that the call is being recorded and can be monitored at any time.

"We found phone calls where they discussed her not appearing," O'Block said. "At one point, he tells her their case is a thousand times better if she does not come to court."

O'Block said the calls, which number more than 500 and total more than 80 hours of conversation, are detailed in the discussion of how much money she should take, where she should go and how long she should remain out of town.

Lake County Assistant Public Defender Sharmila Manak objected to the tapes being used as evidence against her client because they were not relevant to what happened June 30, 2007.

Manak said she listened to some of the taped conversations and heard no evidence Schneider did anything wrong.

"There are no admissions from him on the tapes," Manak said. "She said she was not coming to court on her own."

Bridges said he would wait to review transcripts of the tapes, which prosecutors said could take until Monday to prepare, before deciding if they will be allowed as evidence against Schneider.

In her opening statement to the jury, Assistant State's Attorney Danielle Pascucci hinted the victim may still be reluctant to testify against Schneider.

"On that day at the hospital, (the victim) had the courage to tell the staff and the detectives what happened," Pascucci said. "Now that the bones have mended and the bruises are gone, that courage may be as well."

Assistant Public Defender Jeffrey Facklam told jurors the prosecution case against his client was overstated.

He asked them to convict Schneider of aggravated domestic battery, because there was a fight between the two, but to acquit him of the more serious charges.

"Her injuries were not life-threatening and there was no intent to kill on Chris' part," Facklam said. "Any sex between the two that night was consensual."

The trial is expected to continue Monday.

If convicted of all the charges, Schneider could face up to 60 years in prison.