Rico guilty in Lake Villa home invasion, kidnapping
A former Antioch man was found guilty on three charges related to a 2010 kidnapping and home invasion in Lake Villa.
About 11 p.m. Friday, a jury found Miguel Rico, 20, formerly of the 1100 block of McKenzie Road, guilty on charges of home invasion to commit injury, aggravated kidnapping and residential burglary in connection with the break-in on the 800 block of Longwood Drive in September 2010.
Rico faces a sentence of up to 30 years on the first two charges and up to 15 years on the third charge.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Reginald Matthews said the jury deliberated for more than 18 hours before reaching a verdict late Friday.
He said the jury was deadlocked on all but one charge when the jury was polled about 8:30 p.m. Friday, but Lake County Judge Daniel Shanes ordered the jury to remain in deliberations until a verdict could be reached.
He said jurors were having trouble with some of the counts — specifically aggravated home invasion using a weapon — because a weapon was never recovered by police.
However, Matthews said he was happy with the final verdict because Rico was found guilty of the most serious charge of aggravated kidnapping.
“Because of the guilty verdict with the kidnapping charge, Rico must serve at least 85 percent of the prison sentence before getting time off for good behavior,” Matthews said. “That was definitely the charge we wanted a guilty verdict on.”
Police said Rico entered the Lake Villa home and was stealing property through an open garage door Sept. 1, 2010, when the 20-year-old resident of the home arrived.
Rico pointed a gun at the victim, bound him with duct tape and zip ties, then fled with the stolen property in the victim’s Mitsubishi Eclipse, police said. The car was found abandoned and torched a few miles from the residence.
About a week later, police said, Rico entered a different home — this time in Antioch Township — brandishing a knife. Inside the home, Rico tied up a man and a woman with duct tape before sexually assaulting a teenager, police said. He then loaded the victim’s Nissan Altima with stolen items and fled, police said.
Rico was arrested in Round Lake Beach a day later when a resident on the 1300 block of Longwood Drive saw the Altima parked in front of an abandoned house and recognized it from media reports.
Police investigating the Antioch Township case said Rico was using the abandoned home to store stolen goods from his robberies. Items found there — as well as at his Antioch Township home — were linked to the Lake Villa robbery, police said.
Rico was found guilty in May of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated home invasion and aggravated armed violence for the Antioch Township attack. Prosecutors said they had to drop the aggravated sexual assault charge because the victim was unable to testify.
Rico is serving 30 years for the Antioch Township home invasion.
Sentencing for Rico is scheduled to take place Nov. 14, Matthews said.