Man Gets 18 Years For Attempted Murder Of Wife

OAKWOOD HILLS, IL — A 51-year-old Oakwood Hills man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted first-degree murder for repeatedly running over his wife with a vehicle during a domestic dispute earlier this year, authorities said.

Pablo Contreras was sentenced Tuesday, Nov. 3, by McHenry County Judge Mark Gerhardt after pleading guilty to attempted first-degree murder, according to the McHenry County State's Attorney's Office.

The charges stemmed from a May 22 incident in Oakwood Hills that left Contreras' wife with multiple broken bones and other serious injuries.

According to prosecutors, Contreras and his wife were arguing when he entered his 2020 Volkswagen Jetta while she stood near the rear of the vehicle.

Contreras accelerated in reverse, striking his wife and knocking her to the ground. Despite her screams for him to stop, he reversed the vehicle again, dragging her beneath the car and into the roadway, prosecutors said.

Contreras then shifted into drive and ran over his wife again before fleeing the scene, leaving her severely injured in the street, according to authorities.

The woman suffered a broken clavicle, broken elbow, fractured sternum, multiple broken ribs, a shattered pelvis and a fractured sacrum.

Under Illinois' truth-in-sentencing law, Contreras must serve at least 85 percent of his 18-year sentence before becoming eligible for release. He will also be subject to three years of mandatory supervised release following his prison term, prosecutors said.

"This man ran over his own wife, ignored her screams, and left her broken and helpless in the street," McHenry County State's Attorney Randi Freese said in a statement.

"Domestic violence is not a private family matter. It is a crime, and when that violence escalates to attempted murder, we will pursue the most serious consequences the law allows."