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 days.

DuPage Associate Judge Peter Ostling ordered Darron E. Richard held 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, hit Dawn N. Hill five or six times with his fists and hands late Thursday as she sat on their bed after the two began to argue.

Knight said Richard just returned to their apartment on the 200 block of East 4th Avenue 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 go for four days without care 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, was listed Tuesday in critical condition at Edward Hospital.

Knight said Richard fled the hospital, but police caught up with him shortly later.

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

This was not Richard's first brush with the law. He was released from prison in April, where he was serving time for aggravated battery. He also is wanted on an outstanding Kane County warrant on resisting arrest charges.