Naperville man charged with putting girlfriend in a coma

A Naperville man is accused of brutally beating his live-in girlfriend, who remains hospitalized in a coma after languishing without care for several days.

DuPage Associate Judge Peter Ostling ordered Darron E. Richard held early Tuesday on a $750,000 bond after prosecutors charged him with aggravated domestic battery.

He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.

Prosecutor Steven Knight said Richard, 39, punched Dawn N. Hill five to six times as she sat on their bed, causing her to fall to the ground, after the two began to argue late Thursday in their home on the 200 block of East 4th Avenue.

Knight said Richard had just returned home after drinking when he accused Hill of lying to him about her activities that night. The 42-year-old woman sustained several facial and skull fractures.

But, instead of calling for help, Richard is accused of allowing Hill to languish for four days without care in their home until 9:30 p.m. Sunday when he took her to the Edward Hospital emergency room in Naperville.

"Her eyes opened a few times but she never spoke," Knight said. "The defendant told police he tried to feed her broth through a straw, but she never regained consciousness after the beating."

Hill, who remains in a coma and on a ventilator, is listed in critical condition at the hospital, officials said.

Knight said Richard tried to leave the hospital, but its staff stopped him and alerted police. Richard was released from a state prison in April for battery. He also is wanted on an outstanding Kane County warrant on charges alleging he resisted a police officer.

Ostling, who was shown photos of the woman's injuries, appointed a senior DuPage County public defender to represent the unemployed man. Richard will be arraigned later this summer. Prosecutors are monitoring Hill's condition as they weigh possible further charges.