Expert: Son 'legally insane' when he killed dad near St. Charles
A man charged with stabbing his father to death outside their St. Charles Township house in 2017 was legally insane at the time, an expert psychologist could testify if the case goes to trial.
John W. Shenko, 23, is held on $2 million bail on charges of first-degree murder in the death of his 60-year-old father, Kevin J. Shenko, who, according to court records, was stabbed more than 100 times outside his house on the 7N200 block of Longridge Drive on Aug. 13, 2017.
Shenko - who is autistic, bipolar and schizophrenic - was ruled unfit to stand trial a month after his arrest and sent to a mental health facility in Elgin for inpatient treatment for several months.
If Shenko's case makes it to trial, his defense attorney plans to call the same psychologist at the Kane County Diagnostic Center who evaluated Shenko, according to Kane County court records.
"The defendant may call Dr. (Michael) Oliverio as an expert in clinical psychology to offer his opinion that the defendant was legally insane at the time of the alleged offense," Kane County Assistant Public Defender Brenda Willett wrote in Oct. 26 court filings.
A message left with Willett was not immediately returned.
If convicted, Shenko faces 20 to 60 years in prison. However, if ruled "legally insane" at the time, he could be confined to a mental health facility instead of state prison.
According to court records, the first Kane County sheriff's deputy who arrived outside the Shenko house saw the men covered in blood and John Shenko straddling his father's naked body repeating, "Die, die, die."
The deputy ordered Shenko off his father, who was not breathing or moving and had more than 100 stab wounds. "I'm not getting off him, you're going to have to shoot me," Shenko replied. The deputy twice fired his Taser at Shenko, handcuffed him and asked his name and if anyone else was in the house. "No one else is here. My name is God. I killed Satan. You're going to have to trust me, you're going to have to believe in me," Shenko said, according to the court motion.
Shenko is next due in court Jan. 3. He must post $200,000 bond to be released while the case is pending.