Judge Upholds $1M Bond For Man Accused Of Trying To Hire Hitman
WAUKEGAN, Ill. (STMW) -- Bond remained at $1 million Tuesday for a Vernon Hills man accused of trying to hire a hitman to take out a witness.
A jury convicted Jonathan Villasana, 25, of reckless driving causing great bodily harm on March 20, Assistant State's Attorney Ben Dillon said. Villasana was speeding on Greenleaf Drive in Vernon Hills on his motorcycle May 19, 2012. He had a female passenger on his motorcycle when he crashed through a residential chain link fence.
His passenger underwent multiple surgeries to repair the serious injuries she sustained from the accident, which included several broken bones in her face, Dillon said.
Alcohol was not a factor in the crash, Dillon said.
At the end of March and in early April, Villasana twice met with an undercover officer who he believed to be a hitman, Assistant State's Attorney Ken Lorenz said.
Villasana offered the officer $5,000 to kill his motorcycle passenger's mother, Lorenz said.
"He wanted it to look like a home invasion or robbery," Lorenz said.
Villasana wanted the woman killed after he was sentenced for his reckless driving conviction, Lorenz said.
On May 8, Villasana was sentenced to two years of probation and 90 days of periodic imprisonment, according to Dillon. Villasana was remanded into custody and then served with the solicitation of murder warrant, Dillon added.
Bond was set at $1 million May 9 and was kept the same when Villasana was in court Tuesday, May 14.
Villasana is due back in court May 21 for status of attorney. He remains in custody at Lake County Jail.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2013. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
