Dad Of Daughter 'Possessed By Demon' To Act As Own Attorney

WAUKEGAN, IL — Now that he has been declared fit to to stand trial, the father of nine accused of holding his 10-year-old daughter captive for months in a basement under inhumane conditions in Waukegan intends to represent himself. Police said he and his wife told investigators they believed the girl was possessed by a demon.

Randy Swopes, 48, of Waukegan, has been in custody since last July. He and his 49-year-old wife, Katherine, were arrested after authorities discovered their daughter had been locked in their basement for months at night, police said. Separated from the rest of the family, the girl was rarely allowed outside, forced to use a training toilet and made to shower in a bucket, investigators found.

Both Swopeses have been charged with unlawful restraint, a class 3 felony with maximum sentence of three years in prison, and two misdemeanor counts of child endangerment. All charges they face are probationable. Katherine Swopes was released on a recognizance bond last year with restrictions, including a 24-curfew, no drugs or alcohol and no contact with her husband or four of her children.

Randy Swopes has been ordered to remain behind bars in lieu of the $75,000 cash portion of his bond. In November, he was declared unfit to stand trial by Lake County Circuit Judge Christoper Stride, following a fitness hearing where a psychologist testified Swopes told her "current and former United States presidents and other politicians sneaked into his house at night and sexually assaulted him and his family when everyone was asleep," the Daily Herald reported. A prosecutor admitted he had no evidence that Swopes was fit for trial, and the judge ruled he should be turned over to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Swopes immediately demanded the ruling be appealed and repeatedly told the judge he was fit to be tried, according to the Daily Herald. He has has previously claimed judges, attorneys and other officials in Lake County have been involved in occult rituals involving child abuse, where he was forced to drink blood, drugged and forced into sexual activities. According to the Lake County News-Sun, Swopes also told a lawyer who represented him in eviction proceedings that he was Jesus on several occasions.

In January, after treatment and further evaluation at a facility in Elgin, Swopes was declared fit for trial by IDPH and returned to Lake County Jail, according to the Associated Press. The case has been scheduled for a jury trial beginning April 29 before Circuit Judge Victoria Rossetti.

Through he continues to act as his own attorney, Swopes has been appointed a lawyer on standby to assist him. Attorney Eric Rinehart will act as a legal resource and provide advice ahead of the pending trial, he told the News-Sun after a status hearing Tuesday, but Swopes will make all the strategic decisions as to his defense.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has had at least five encounters with the Swopes family since 1994. The family was investigated for neglect in 2006 after citing religious reasons for refusing medical treatment for a child.

In 2008, Swopes was convicted of aggravated battery following allegations he used a needle, thread and superglue on his 14-year-old son's buttocks while attempting to close a wound. He is registered on the Illinois State Police Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth registry as a result of the conviction.

DCFS placed eight of his children in foster care at the time for "medical neglect and physical abuse," according to WBBM-TV. In 2011, the Swopeses were given back custody of their children, although the three oldest elected to remain in foster care rather than return.

Related:

• Man Accused Of Imprisoning 'Demon' Daughter Found Unfit For Trial
• Girl Imprisoned In Basement: Mom Freed, Dad Remains In Custody
• Parents Imprisoned Girl In Basement, Said She Was Possessed: Cops