Schaumburg men sentenced in drug deal that turned violent

A pair of Schaumburg residents involved in a 2009 drug deal gone awry that earned them attempted murder charges, pleaded guilty Monday to amended charges that resulted in one defendant receiving probation and another receiving a prison term.

In exchange for their guilty pleas to reduced charges of armed robbery and aggravated battery with a knife, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Fecarotta sentenced 17-year-old Nicholas Kastner to 30-months probation, including one year intensive probation, and 20-year-old Marlon Wilkinson to four years in prison.

The charges stemmed from the robbery and stabbing of a Streamwood man during a Feb. 28, 2009, incident at the victim's residence, prosecutors said. Wilkinson and a third co-defendant, Carmichael Nation, tried to remove a safe from the victim's home, said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Mike Gerber. A struggle ensued during which Wilkinson stabbed the victim several times in the leg and body with a steak knife while Nation held him, Gerber said.

The victim recovered after being hospitalized for several days, Gerber said. Fecarotta noted for the record that the victim had participated in the botched drug deal. Fecarotta also granted Wilkinson credit for his 398 days in custody.

Kastner. who was 16 at the time of the incident, was tried as an adult.

Neither Kastner, of the 100 block of Hartford Drive, nor Wilkinson, of the 600 block of Newton Court, have a criminal background, prosecutors said.

Nation, of Evanston, is due to appear in court Wednesday.