Minooka Man's Trial In Murder of Newly Released Ex-Con To Begin

JOLIET, IL — A 67-year-old Minooka man is slated to stand trial at the Will County Courthouse in less than three weeks in connection with Nathan Hofkamp's murder. James "Jim" Hess, who lives on North Canal Road, spent four days in the Will County Jail in April 2017 after being charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

Hess posted 10 percent of his $1 million bail on April 18, 2017. He's remained free ever since.

Hess also retained one of the Joliet area's most notable criminal defense firms, The Tomczak Law Group, to put forth a vigorous defense. Hess's jury trial is set to begin on April 8 in Courtroom 405 of Will County Circuit Judge David Carlson.

Three Assistant Will County State's Attorneys are trying the Minooka murder case: Elizabeth Domagalla, Chris Koch and Nick Plattos.

In one of his final stories with the Joliet Patch, former staff writer Joe Hosey reported that 29-year-old Nathan Hofkamp had been released from downstate's Vienna Correctional Center only 12 hours before he was killed. The homicide victim was shot at a party to welcome him home. Earlier that day, Hofkamp took to social media, proclaiming on Facebook: "Finally free."

Hess, the man charged with killing him, was Hofkamp's mother's boyfriend. Hofkamp died at the emergency room at St. Joe's hospital.

Here's a recap of several important details about the case:

On April 14, 2017, James Hess "shot Nathan Hofkamp in the body with a firearm knowing such act created a strong probability of death or great bodily harm to Nathan Hofkamp, thereby causing the death of Nathan Hofkamp," the criminal complaint states.

In April 2017, Kathleen Hofkamp, then 51, filed for an order of protection against James Hess, who was 65 at the time. On April 14, 2017, "James wanted to go to sleep," the Minooka woman wrote the court. "We were all drinking. My son Nathan said he will take some beers in the back with us and Jim disappeared downstairs and he shot off three shots down in the basement and then he came up and aimed the gun at all three of us and said, 'Now, who's not going to sleep?'"

Moments later, Kathleen Hofkamp's son was shot.

But was it truly murder? A jury of Will County citizens will have to decide.

"My son Nathan went around the wall to get the gun away from Jim and Jim shot him," the victim's mother wrote the court. "I went for the house phone to call 911 and he came after me and grabbed me and scratched me on my lip and arm to get the phone away from me."

Her son had been shot in the chest.

"I grabbed my cell phone and called 911 and ran to my son to stop the bleeding and talked to 911," court documents reflect. "Jim ran outside with the gun. The police showed up. Jim would not drop the gun and the police had him at gunpoint and then he gave up the gun and the police secured him," Kathleen Hofkamp wrote, according to court documents.

The Minooka woman will likely be a pivotal witness for the prosecution in the coming days.

"I moved in approximately three years (ago) to be his caregiver," she informed the court, referring to Jim Hess. "Then we became boyfriend and girlfriend. There have been many other instances of physical abuse and also including a gun over the years."