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78-year-old pedophile stabs himself in courtroom after jury finds him guilty of sexually assaulting minor

Johnny Icard stabbed himself with a folding knife with a 3 ½-inch blade; he was taken to a hospital and is expected to recover; he'll be sentenced next month
UPDATED MAR 18, 2020
(Source:Getty Images)
(Source:Getty Images)

78-year-old Johnny Icard from Bloomington was taken to a hospital from the Law and Justice Center on July 18 due to a self-inflicted stab wound after a jury had returned a guilty verdict against him for the charge of predatory criminal sexual assault. He could be seen in the courtroom driving an object into his stomach a little after 12 pm when the jury had been dismissed from the courtroom.

The judge was in the process of explaining to Icard, who was initially free on bond, that the said bond had been revoked. The elderly man had been alone at the defense table from where he conducted his own defense for the three-day trial in which he could have faced 60 years in prison on charges. He will be sentenced on August 31.

As Icard was trying to stab himself with the knife, a woman who had been sitting in the gallery suddenly yelled "he's got a gun" just moments before a McLean County deputy, who had been sitting behind Icard said, "he's got a knife" and sprang into action to try and stop the man from inflicting any damage on himself. Icard could reportedly be seen fumbling around with his shirt near the waistband, reported the Pantagraph. He had just finished giving his response to the judge's ruling. When speaking about the verdict, Icard said, "I've got a lot of family affairs to take care of ... I was not expecting this".

The courtroom was immediately cleared of everyone who was not needed and deputies provided the elderly man with emergency first aid while waiting for the paramedics. He had been conscious when the paramedics finally arrived 20 minutes later and wheeled him out of the courtroom on a gurney. Icard's shirt had been taken off and his upper body did not show any visible wounds, although a sheet with copious amounts of blood was seen on the chair he was sitting down on in the courtroom.

One of the first responders said that Icard was "going to be OK" when asked about his condition by a person who was standing in the hallway of the courtroom. Jon Sandage, the McLean County Sheriff, said that Icard had used a folding knife which had a 3-and-a-half inch blade. He also said that the investigation is currently being conducted with regards to how the elderly man was able to get the blade into the courtroom past the metal detectors in the lobby of the building. 

Sandage said, "We are reviewing our security procedures and if we find that lax security procedures contributed to this, they will be addressed." This particular stabbing had not been the first time that Icard had tried to hurt himself. His wife had testified on July 17 that he had tried to take his own life in February last year. This was only two days after he had been accused of molesting a minor girl, which was the event that Icard is on trial for at the moment.

Shirley Icard, the wife, said that her husband had been taken to the hospital last year after he had been found inside his car in the garage with the door closed. Assistant State's Attorney Jacob Harlow played parts of Icard's interview with the police, in which the man had told the investigators that "anything's possible" when he was asked about the accusations,  as a part of his closing arguments on July 18.

Icard also confessed to drinking alcohol to the detectives telling one of the officers, "I do drink so it could have been when I’d been drinking." Harlow also said that another molestation allegation that was filed against Icard more than 20 years ago by a girl in Michigan revealed a pattern of misconduct for the elderly man.

Harlow told the jury that "alcohol and opportunity do not mix" for the 78-year-old. After the jury returned the verdict, Harlow said, "I'm thankful that these young survivors had the courage and confidence to bear the weight of what was asked of them this week. I also hope the jury's verdict serves as affirmation for their decisions to participate in the legal process."

He also told the jury testimony from the young victim had been difficult to hear but was credible. He said that the child "gave a heartbreaking demonstration of what no 6-year-old should have to experience".

Icard said in his final remarks that the child's testimony had different timelines for when the two alleged assaults took place and this made her an unreliable witness and this was why he was innocent. The victim testified on July 17 that Icard had touched her inappropriately when she went into his garage in February 2017. When she was asked if the "touches" had taken place at an earlier time, the girl was reported to have said, "I'm pretty sure it was more than one time."

According to her testimony, Icard had allegedly told the girl "don't tell anyone" about the alleged assault after he told her "he did it with his own kids". 

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