Man pleads not guilty to attempted murder

A Round Lake Beach man accused of attacking his girlfriend pleaded not guilty Thursday to attempted murder.

Eduardo Juarez, 38, faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted in the April 4 attack on a 49-year-old Ingleside woman, who told police she had been dating Juarez for about six months.

The victim told police Juarez had agreed to give her his car to settle a debt. Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Tim Niehus said the woman drove the car to Libertyville April 4 to pick up Juarez and took him to his residence in the 1000 block of Brentwood Drive. Once there, Niehus said, Juarez demanded the woman give him the keys to the car, and choked her into unconsciousness when she refused.

Niehus said the woman woke up and overheard Juarez on the telephone attempting to obtain airplane tickets to Mexico.

He again began demanding the car keys from the woman, Niehus said, and told her he would kill her and himself if she did not come to Mexico with him.

Juarez began searching through the woman's belongings for the car keys, Neihus said, and she ran from his house and drove to the police station.

Associate Judge Daniel Shanes scheduled a trial of the case for May 29, and ordered Juarez, who is held on $500,000 bond, to appear in court May 22.