Deerfield man pleads not guilty to murder, assaulting and kidnapping wife
A Deerfield man accused of handcuffing, sexually assaulting and fatally stabbing his wife pleaded not guilty to multiple charges in Lake County court Thursday.
No trial date was set for Gary A. Kamen, 55, because defense attorney James Schwarzbach said he has been having trouble seeing his client in private due to Lake County jail renovation work.
Schwarzbach said private jail rooms routinely used by defense attorneys and clients have been unavailable.
Judge Daniel Shanes set a Nov. 7 status date for the case. Shanes told Schwarzbach to file a subpoena for medical and other records the jail has regarding Kamen.
Kamen faces charges of first-degree murder, aggravated criminal sexual assault and aggravated kidnapping for attacking his wife, Karyn, after holding her hostage in their house on the 1000 block of Peachtree Lane, authorities said.
Court documents filed by Assistant Lake County State's Attorney Scott Hoffert allege Kamen handcuffed his wife after sending his children to school Sept. 21.
Hoffert said in the court document that Kamen shut the windows and blinds, moved his wife to various locations in the house and changed the position of the handcuffs during the attack.
After sexually assaulting his wife, Kamen drank whiskey and took Ambien, causing him to black out, the court document reads. When he regained awareness, he found Karyn Kamen on the floor covered in blood.
Gary Kamen called police and told them he stabbed and killed his 53-year-old wife, the court document reads. Police found her in an upstairs bedroom with more than 15 stab wounds.
She was taken to Highland Park Hospital, where she was pronounced dead the next day.
Police recovered the knife, an object used in the sexual assault and several letters written by Gary Kamen, the court document reads.
In addition to giving police a confession, Gary Kamen called his brother from the police station and officers overheard him admit "he had a psychotic episode and killed his wife," the document reads.
Kamen is being held in Lake County jail without bail. If found guilty at trial, Kamen could be sentenced to life in prison, Hoffert said.