Man pleads guilty to repeatedly stabbing sleeping parents of a girl who called him 'ugly'
A man from suburban Chicago stabbed the parents of a girl who called him "ugly", and now the assailant has pleaded guilty to the charge. He said he got tired of being called so. Booked on charges of attempted murder of the first-degree and home invasion, 21-year-old Zachary Machnikowski faces up to 60 years in prison, reports The Daily Herald.
Back in 2015, at a party on March 31, the Naperville native believed a girl called him ugly, according to law enforcement authorities. Taking offense to her words, an enraged Machnikowski left the party only to break into the girl's residence on the 900 block of Iroquois Avenue around 1:25 a.m. When he entered the girl's home, her parents were lying in bed.
Machnikowski picked up a 10-inch serrated bread knife and repeatedly stabbed the girl's parents in the head, neck, and body while they were asleep. Fortunately, the couple survived after the father was able to knock the knife off the 21-year-old's grasp. Assistant State's Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Bureau Tim Diamond said once Machnikowski was unarmed and no longer had the upper hand, he bolted from the house and hid in nearby bushes until officers responded.
Since the night of the assault, Machnikowski, of Spring Garden Circle in Naperville, has been held in custody without bail. His next court date was scheduled for July 25, at which time his sentencing date will be set. He faces between six and 30 years for each of the two charges and must serve the sentences consecutively.
The couple survived after being treated at Edward Hospital in Naperville for as many as eight stab wounds each. According to law enforcement, the 21-year-old confessed to them that previously, he entered the home planning to steal liquor. But as he wanted to hurt the girl after her comments on his appearance, he went ahead and stabbed her parents instead.
"This morning, Zachary Machnikowski admitted that in the middle of the night, he broke into an innocent couple's home, armed himself with a large kitchen knife, went upstairs and savagely attacked them while they slept," State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a written statement.
"I can't even begin to imagine the horror the couple must have felt when they were awoken in their own bedroom by a knife-wielding intruder."