Lisle teen pleads guilty in West Chicago picnic stabbing case
A Lisle teen was sentenced to a year in prison Friday for his role in the attempted robbery and stabbing of a man picnicking at Pioneer Park in West Chicago.
Irbin Rocha, 18, of the 2900 block of Burlington Avenue, pleaded guilty in DuPage County court to mob action and was sentenced by Judge Blanche Hill Fawell.
Prosecutors said Rocha was with two other men when, about 7:30 p.m. June 24, they approached the victim as he picnicked with his girlfriend at Pioneer Park, 479 W. Forest Ave. Authorities said the trio demanded money but the victim fought back, engaging them in hand-to-hand combat. At some point, prosecutors said, co-defendant Alejandro DeLaCruz pulled out a steak knife and stabbed the victim twice in the chest, puncturing his lung.
DeLaCruz, 17, of West Chicago, and the third suspect, David Flores, 18, of Aurora, have pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted robbery, attempted armed robbery and aggravated battery, and their cases are pending, court records show.
By law, Rocha must serve at least six months of his sentence, and he faces deportation upon his release. With credit for time served in the county jail since June, he could get out around the end of the year, according to his attorney, Assistant Public Defender Ken Overwater.
Both DeLaCruz and Flores remained jailed Friday on bails of $200,000 and $150,000, respectively, and are due back in court next month.