Man Planned To Kidnap Teen He’d Just Met: Authorities

SLEEPY HOLLOW, IL — A Sleepy Hollow man who met his neighbor over the weekend and decided to break into her home Monday with plans to kidnap her is being held without bail at the Kane County Jail, authorities said Thursday. The man, who has been identified as Fabian J. Torres, did not carry out his kidnapping plans but is accused of sexually assaulting the 19-year-old woman and stabbing her and her teenage brother when he came to her aid during the attack. Torres now faces 26 felony charges and is being held without bond in connection with the home invasion, stabbing and sex assault.

"The level of severity of violence in this offense is off the charts," Kane County State’s Attorney Bill Engerman said during the bond hearing Thursday.

Torres appeared in court and was charged with two counts of attempted murder, a Class X felony; four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, a Class X felony; eight counts of home invasion, a Class X felony; two counts of armed violence, a Class X felony; two counts of attempted aggravated kidnapping, a Class 1 felony; four counts of aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony; and four counts of aggravated unlawful restraint, a Class 3 felony.

Authorities say Torres, armed with a knife, forced his way into the home in the 900 block of Saratoga Parkway at about 12:35 p.m. on April 8 and sexually assaulted the 19-year-old woman. The woman, who tried to get the knife away from him, was stabbed in her hands and calf, prosecutors said.

Her teenage brother came to her aid and Torres, who lived in the same neighborhood, stabbed him in his face, head and chest, according to prosecutors.

Both teens were able to escape the home and remained hospitalized Thursday.

Torres' entry into the Sleepy Hollow home was video recorded through the use of an electronic doorbell device, according to a Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.

In addition to a knife, which had a blade longer than three inches, Torres also brought a black bag that contained rope, heavy-duty duct tape, pepper spray, bear repellent and items of a sexual nature, according to a news release. Police said he purchased the bear repellent, pepper spray and rope from Menards and Fleet Farm on Monday morning, according to the Daily Herald.

He also had Extenze Male Enhancement supplements and a penile pump and , according to the Daily Herald.

Torres, while brandishing the knife, told the woman to remove her clothing and ordered her brother to leave the room, prosecutors said.

“As Torres sexually assaulted the female victim, she attempted to wrest the knife from him, and a struggle began,” according to the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office. “During the struggle Torres stabbed the female victim causing severe lacerations to her hands and calf. The male victim came to aid the female victim, and Torres stabbed him in multiple places on his body including his face, head and chest. The female victim escape from the home while Torres continued to attack the male victim, who eventually escaped and fled the home.”

Following the attack, prosecutors say Torres fled the home with a large knife in his right hand, leaving behind his black bag, cell phone and wallet, which included his identification, in the Sleepy Hollow home.

Torres, while armed with two knives, then forced his way into another home in the same neighborhood, according to the news release. Two people were in the home, and Torres grabbed one victim while pointing a knife at her before allegedly demanding that she take him to her vehicle. The woman was able to separate herself from Torres, and he then left the home.

Torres was later spotted in the area of Randall Road and Joy Street approaching vehicles and asking for a ride, prosecutors said. Police encountered him a short distance away, and said Torres fled before being taken into custody a short time later.

Torres was charged in 2011 after he threw a Molotov cocktail at Butera Market in Algonquin. He pleaded guilty but mentally ill and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

He was released from the Illinois Department of Corrections on mandatory supervised release status in October 2018 and remained on parole until this week. Authorities said Torres has a history of mental health issues, according to the Northwest Herald.

If convicted on all counts in his most recent case, Torres faces a sentence between 74 and 245 years in prison. He remains in custody at the Kane County jail.

“The facts of this case are horrific. This is one of the most violent cases we have charged in my years as the Kane County State’s Attorney,” Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon said. “Our job now is to go to work for the community of Sleepy Hollow, and these victims and their families. These victims have been through a lot, and two of them are recovering from serious injuries.”

Torres is next expected in court April 17.