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Man acquitted in 2017 road rage stabbing of Naperville resident

A 30-year-old former Lisle man has been acquitted of three counts of aggravated battery in connection with a June 2017 traffic confrontation in which he stabbed a Naperville man 10 times.

DuPage County Judge Liam Brennan found Lloyd M. Rose, formerly of the 1000 block of Division Street, not guilty Thursday afternoon after a two-day bench trial.

Rose was accused of stabbing Matthew Frasier, 29, of Naperville in a roadside altercation on the night of June 20, 2017.

In his ruling, Brennan said he believed Rose's testimony that he acted in self-defense and feared he was in danger of suffering great bodily harm as the much larger Frasier approached his car and began punching him through an open window.

Brennan said Rose "stupidly" got of his car to further engage Frasier, but state law does not require people to flee their aggressor before defending themselves.

The men were each traveling east on Ogden Avenue in Naperville when they became involved in a dispute that involved "brake-checking" each other.

The confrontation continued along Ogden into Lisle until both vehicles exited on the eastbound ramp toward Route 53.

It was at that point Brennan said he found Rose's testimony more believable that Frasier first approached his car and struck Rose at least twice.

When Rose exited his car, the men began fighting. But while Frazier was using his fists, Rose was stabbing Frasier in the chest and abdomen with a 3.5-inch folding knife equipped with a 2.5-inch blade.

"When Frasier stopped punching, the defendant stopped jabbing," Brennan said.

Both men returned to their vehicles after the fight, and Frasier started driving south on Route 53. At that point, he began experiencing severe pain in his torso and had difficulty breathing. He eventually pulled into a parking lot and realized he had been stabbed multiple times.

Once he arrived at the hospital, he was taken directly into surgery to repair a punctured lung. At the hospital, Frasier's blood alcohol concentration was more than double the legal limit of .08, authorities said.

Frasier was not in court for Thursday's ruling. Rose declined to comment outside court, but his attorney, Kim Kardas, said he was very happy.

"The judge ruled based upon the evidence," Kardas said. "It's a shame for all parties involved that something like this happened."

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