Bolingbrook Man Guilty Of Fatally Stabbing Stepson Gets 28-Year Term

BOLINGBROOK, IL — The now-57-year-old Bolingbrook man who fatally stabbed his stepson to death in 2017 was sentenced Tuesday to 28 years in prison, officials said.

Harold Robinson, who was found guilty of second-degree murder during a November 2023 bench trial in Will County, was directed to serve 50 percent of his prison term, for which he receives credit for the 2444 days already served, according to Assistant State's Attorney Carole Cheney. He will also be required to complete three years of mandatory supervised release.

Robinson fatally stabbed 23-year-old Corey Spradley after a verbal domestic situation escalated into a physical confrontation on June 4, 2017.

During the incident, Spradley went to do laundry at a house in the 500 block of Jordan Way, where Robinson lived his wife and Spradley's cousin. Prosecutors said an argument began between the two when Spradley went into the basement, where Robinson was, to start a load of laundry. The young man proceeded to go upstairs, while Robinson went outside.

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After Spradley went back into the basement, his cousin reported hearing a noise, prompting him to go downstairs and find Spradley on the floor clutching his chest, with Robinson holding a knife nearby, officials said.

After Robinson stabbed Spradley again near the stairs, officials said the victim ran upstairs and was chased around the family room before he exited the house and ran across the street with his cousin, all while Robinson followed. They called 911 after reaching a neighbor's house.

Spradley later succumbed to his injuries, and Robinson has remained in custody since 2017.

"Robinson snuffed out the life of his stepson, a young man in his early twenties with his life ahead of him," State's Attorney James Glasgow said in a statement. "The sanctity of human life is the cornerstone of our civilized society."

According to court documents, Robinson faced two counts of first-degree murder for cutting Spradley with a sharp object, "without lawful justification and with the intent to kill or do great bodily harm," and knowing that the act "created a strong probability of death or great bodily harm" to Spradley.

Before Robinson's trial began Oct. 30, 2023, numerous pretrial hearings and status hearings were held over the course of six years, Patch reported. Fitness status hearings were also held in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

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