Ex-boyfriend gets 47 years for slaying of Woodridge woman
A Northlake man convicted of the 2012 stabbing death of his ex-girlfriend in her Woodridge apartment was sentenced Tuesday to 47 years in prison.
Adam Belmont, 26, entered blind pleas last month of guilty to one count of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated criminal sexual assault.
Charges of home invasion, aggravated criminal sexual abuse and abuse of a corpse then were dropped and he faced between 26 and 90 years in prison on the consecutive counts.
"I don't see this as a tragedy. In my mind I see this as a murder and a rape," Judge Liam Brennan said while handing down the sentence. "Let's not forget this started with (Belmont) on her balcony, cutting a hole through the window, secreting himself into her apartment and surprising her in the bathroom."
Assistant State's Attorney Demetri Demopoulos said Belmont scaled the Woodridge apartment he once shared with Alyssa Van Meter, 25, to break into the second-story unit about 9 p.m. on Dec. 15, 2012.
Once inside the apartment, Belmont choked his ex-girlfriend until she was unconscious. He then used his pocket knife to cut away her clothes as he sexually assaulted her. As she attempted to fight him off, Belmont stabbed her one time in the chest, piercing her heart.
After stabbing Van Meter, Belmont masturbated onto her corpse before he fled.
"He raped her. This was a sexual attack from the moment he sat on her balcony, stalking her," Demopoulos said. 'Then he buried the blade of that knife brutally into her chest. This was the ultimate act of domestic violence."
Defense attorney Sam Amirante, however, said Belmont "just snapped" when the love of his life told him she no longer wanted a relationship.
"He was drunk, hurt, destroyed and useless. That's how he felt. This was a sudden, intense passion and he acted out," Amirante said. "This was a perfect storm of a tragedy that happened."
Belmont told Brennan he plans to use his time in prison to become a better person.
"There's no excuse for what I did. I plan to use the time to better myself and be a positive contributor to my new IDOC community," Belmont said.
Outside of court, Van Meter's aunt, Sandy Kitcheos, who testified she and her partner raised Van Meter, said the family was hoping for a longer sentence.
"None of us think 47 years is enough because it's not going to bring her back," she said. "But we do understand that it's basically a life sentence for him. So he's going away and we can all begin the healing process."
Belmont must serve 100 percent of the 35 years he received for the murder and 85 percent of the 12-year sentence he received for the aggravated sexual assault. In total, he will serve just more than 45 years and he receives credit for the 920 days he's been in jail since his arrest.