20 Years In Prison For Aurora Man Who Attacked Neighbor With Hammer

AURORA, IL — A 22-year-old Aurora man received a 20-year prison sentence more than a year after he attacked his neighbor with a hammer, prosecutors said.

Johnathan McDonald, of the 400 block of North River Street, agreed to the two-decade sentence at the Illinois Department of Corrections in exchange for pleading guilty to first-degree murder.

Officials said McDonald had "no clear motivation" for attacking his 59-year-old neighbor Nov. 20, 2021. Around 7:15 p.m. that evening, the Aurora man entered the woman's house and hit the woman in the head, causing her to fall to the floor and black out, according to details from the Kane County State's Attorney's Office. She later regained consciousness only to be hit with a hammer again.

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"There was no clear motivation for Mr. McDonald’s heinous, violent and unprovoked attack," Assistant State's Attorney Mark Stajdohar said in a statement. "Their relationship before this brutal incident had been friendly."

McDonald is required to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence for which he receives credit for his 411 days spent in the Kane County jail, officials said. He has been held at the jail since his arrest in lieu of $1 million bail.