Elgin man pleads not guilty in Huntley shooting case

An Elgin man accused of shooting two men in a Huntley home - one who later died - before fleeing the country and ultimately being captured in Pennsylvania pleaded not guilty Monday to attempted murder.

Lewis McCracken, 27, is charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of home invasion and two counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.

He also is charged with residential burglary, aggravated discharge of a firearm, possession of firearms by a felon and aggravated battery.

He could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted of the most serious charges.

Prosecutors allege that about 4:30 a.m. July 18, McCracken, armed with a .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun, was driven to a home in the Wing Pointe subdivision to confront a 29-year-old resident about an earlier dispute in Elgin.

After McCracken "pounded" on the door, a woman, who was older than 60, answered and then tried to shut the door on him. But McCracken pushed his way in and "pistol-whipped" the woman, prosecutors said.

Hearing the commotion, the 29-year-old man and a 68-year-old man, Mark Wahlstedt, who was armed with a .380-caliber handgun, ran downstairs. McCracken shot both of them, prosecutors said,

The 29-year-old recovered from his wounds, but Wahlstedt died in October at a rehabilitation facility in Lake County.

Lake County Chief Deputy Coroner Steve Newton has said underlying conditions caused Wahlstedt's death, not the shooting, but McHenry County State's Attorney Patrick Kenneally has said he has not decided whether to upgrade the charges to murder

McCracken was captured in September after a nearly two-hour standoff at a home in Donora, Pennsylvania. Prosecutors said he had fled to Mexico before traveling to Pennsylvania.

McCracken, whose next court date is Feb. 16, has a felony record dating back to age 17, according to records in Kane County.