Lake Villa man convicted of ‘reign of terror’ in McHenry

A Lake Villa man who prosecutors say went on “nothing short of a reign of terror” throughout McHenry during the stormy, early morning hours of March 31, 2023, was found guilty of more than two dozen charges Wednesday.

Nicholas Lopardo, 27, was convicted of 25 of 31 counts against him, including four Class X felonies of armed violence and aggravated discharge of a firearm. He now faces the possibility of decades in prison when he’s sentenced in September.

The convictions end a trial that began in March before McHenry County Judge Tiffany Davis.

In closing arguments last month, McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi Freese presented a timeline that began about 1 a.m. the night of the crime spree, when Lopardo was rejected by a woman at a friend’s house on Charlotte Avenue in McHenry.

The case involved 20 crime scenes, dozens of victims, 46 witnesses, hundreds of pieces of evidence “and nearly three dead bodies,” Freese said.

“But by the grace of God, this is not a murder trial,” she added.

After leaving the Charlotte Avenue house, Lopardo drove to a residence on Colby Drive, parked and abandoned his Jaguar, still running with a half bottle of Jack Daniels on its roof, and stole an SUV, officials said.

Prosecutors said he then damaged farm property near the intersection of Barreville and Justen roads, crashed the SUV into a building on nearby conservation property and then fired shots into the building and vehicle.

Lopardo was accused of later shooting at three vehicles and their drivers on and near Barreville Road, two of which were police vehicles that had been dispatched because of his actions, prosecutors said.

The spree ended when Lopardo was found roaming the nearby Irish Prairie neighborhood, where he shot at and threw rocks into multiple homes with “innocent families” inside, Freese said.

“The only thing that is not complicated (about the case) is who did it,” she added.

Lopardo’s attorney, Robert Ritacca, noted there were no fingerprints, physical evidence or DNA presented linking Lopardo to the crimes, and no witnesses who identified Lopardo in court as the perpetrator.

When Lopardo was arrested, “it was unbeknownst to him what that neighborhood was” or how he got there, Ritacca said.