Naperville man sentenced to 20 years for attempted murder and home invasion
A 22-year-old Naperville man was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison for the 2015 home invasion and attempted murder of a sleeping Naperville couple.
Judge Liam Brennan sentenced Zachary Machnikowski following a two-day hearing.
Machnikowski faced a possible 12 to 60 years in prison. Prosecutors sought 40 years after Machnikowski pleaded guilty to the charges earlier this year.
Assistant State's Attorney Nancy Donohoe said around 1:25 a.m. on March 31, 2015, Machnikowski stood over the bed of William and Mary Lenk of Naperville and "went on a rampage," stabbing them each numerous times in their heads, necks and bodies with an "extraordinarily large" 10-inch-long serrated bread knife from their kitchen.
"He was stabbing them so hard that his own hands slid past the hilt and down the blade, causing deep lacerations on his own hands," she said.
Machnikowski, who has been diagnosed as bipolar and battling severe depression, was apprehended moments later when police found him hiding in a nearby bush. Donohoe said prosecutors believe he was heading back into the home to retrieve his phone when he was arrested.
"It was still in the Lenks' bed, covered in their blood," she said.
Authorities initially said Machnikowski believed the couple's daughter, who police said sneaked out of their house to attend a party, told another person at the gathering she thought Machnikowski was ugly.
Authorities said he became angry, left the party, entered the Lenks' home through an unlocked rear door and attacked the girl's parents.
Machnikowski, in his final statements before being sentenced, however, apologized and said he made up that story in a panic because he was intoxicated on a mix of alcohol, cocaine and synthetic marijuana and had no explanation for what he had done. Prosecutors say there was no evidence of any such intoxication.
"I know the things I said were not true. It was a cowardly thing to do and I realize that," he said.
Machnikowski's attorney Jay Fuller said Machnikowski actually entered the home planning to steal liquor but "did something extremely different" when he stabbed the woman's parents.
Donohoe said William Lenk's "heroic efforts" fighting off Machnikowski likely saved both of their lives. The Lenks survived after being treated at Edward Hospital in Naperville for as many as eight stab wounds each.
Brennan agreed, saying luck was on everyone's side that morning.
"It is pure happenstance that there was not a murder here. Everything the defendant did that night made it possible," Brennan said. "It is pure luck that we're not gathered here under different circumstances."
Machnikowski will be required to serve 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole. He also receives credit for the just more than four years he has been held without bond in DuPage County Jail.