Man Accused Of Imprisoning 'Demon' Daughter Found Unfit For Trial

WAUKEGAN, IL — A Waukegan man accused of holding his 10-year-old daughter captive in a basement because he believed she was possessed by a "demon" has been found unfit to stand trial, the Lake County News-Sun reported. The man, who is acting as his own attorney, disputes the police account and claims his daughter was actually caught up in demonic rituals involving the judge who is hearing his case, among others.

Randy H. Swopes, 48, and his wife Katherine, 49, both face one count of unlawful restraint and two counts of child endangerment. Mr. Swopes is being held in lieu of 10 percent of a $750,000, an amount he has unsuccessfully sought to reduce while doctors assess his mental condition. Mrs. Swopes, who is also representing herself, was released in August on a recognizance bond that requires her to remain at home when not at court.

Waukegan police said they received an anonymous 911 call on July 17 reporting a concern that someone was being held captive in a basement in the 200 block of Liberty Street. Officers described finding a disturbing scene. The couple's 10-year-old daughter was forced to shower from a bucket, use a training toilet, kept from other family members and locked in the basement at night during the first half of 2018 because her parents believed she was demonically possessed, according to Cmdr. Joe Florip.

In court ahead of a fitness hearing set for Tuesday, Swopes said his daughter had informed him that Lake County Circuit Judge Mark Levitt, along with other notable local judges and attorneys, had participated in occult rituals involving drinking blood, sexual acts and druggings, according to the News-Sun. He declined the judge's recommendation to allow a public defender to represent him. Levitt said Swopes will be allowed to question the doctor at a fitness hearing Tuesday before another judge.

Swopes has previously described himself as Jesus.

"One time he told me that if I knew who he was I’d be nicer to him because, ‘I have 2,000 years of experience,’” his former attorney told the News-Sun in July.

The father of nine is also registered on the Illinois State Police Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth registry for a 2008 conviction for aggravated domestic battery and aggravated battery related to allegations he sewed his son's buttocks shut.

The couple has had multiple interactions with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, starting in 1994 in southern Illinois, the News-Sun reported. The agency has removed children from their care in the past and documented the parents religious objections to medical care.

Three siblings aged 15, 13 and 7 who were living with the couple at the time of their arrests were taken into protective custody, according to Florip.

Earlier:

• Girl Imprisoned In Basement: Mom Freed, Dad Remains In Custody
• Parents Imprisoned Girl In Basement, Said She Was Possessed: Cops