Glen Ellyn man pleads guilty in plot to kill parents
A Glen Ellyn man who hired a friend to kill his parents in a hammer attack pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of attempted first-degree murder.
Joshua Miceli, 25, was sentenced to 23 years in prison, according to DuPage County court records. He will get credit for the time he has spent in jail since his arrest in February 2018.
His friend Michael Targo, 20, pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder in January. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison in exchange for testimony he gave against Miceli.
At the time of the attack, authorities said that Miceli was mad because his parents did not support his plan to become a blacksmith. As part of the murder plot, Miceli planned to sell items he inherited and split the proceeds with Targo.
But Targo testified that Miceli was angry over more than the blacksmith dream. Targo said Miceli told him he was angry that his parents had given money to his brother for hockey, instead of giving it to him. He wanted it to pay for his girlfriend to have male-to-female sex-change surgery, Targo said.
Targo hid behind a couch, waiting for a signal from Miceli, who was in the home's kitchen. He first attacked Miceli's mother, who suffered a torn earlobe, a broken jaw and a broken facial bone.
He then went upstairs and attacked the father, who suffered cuts to his head, face and neck.
Miceli will have to serve at least 85% of his sentence.