Algonquin man pleads guilty to stepfather's murder, gets 50-year sentence

An Algonquin man was sentenced to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty Monday to a first-degree murder charge for the killing of his stepfather.

As part of Maxim Parnov's plea deal, McHenry County prosecutors dropped charges that he also killed his mother in the Nov. 29, 2021 attack in the couple's home near Algonquin's downtown.

McHenry County Judge Tiffany Davis accepted the plea agreement and scheduled a June 20 court hearing for the reading of victim impact statements.

Under the terms of his plea deal, Parnov, 37, must serve 100% of the 50-year sentence. Had he also been convicted of his mother's murder, he could have been sentenced to natural life in prison.

Parnov, who has been held in the McHenry County jail since his arrest, was accused of killing his mother, Elvira Almen, and stepfather, Peter Almen, in the home where all three lived on the 400 block of La Fox River Drive, and hiding their bodies

Parnov "inflicted blunt force trauma" on his 56-year-old mother and 64-year-old stepfather, causing their deaths, according to an indictment.

Authorities said he then concealed his mother's body in a freezer and his stepfather's in a cabinet and loaded them inside a U-Haul truck. Police discovered the bodies the next day when officers conducted a well-being check requested when Peter Almen did not show up to work.

Officials have not detailed where U-Haul was found or what led police to the vehicle.

By that time Parnov had fled to Wisconsin, but he was captured a week later by Kenosha County sheriff's deputies at a home in Salem, authorities said.

Parnov and the couple had been arguing at the time of the killing, authorities said, although it is not known what they were arguing about.

Parnov's attorney Assistant Public Defender Matthew Feda declined to comment Monday.