Estranged Husband Faces Attempted Murder, Strangulation Charges: Police

LAKE COUNTY, IL — The estranged husband of a 34-year-old Lake County woman faces attempted murder charges after he is accused of strangling her with a belt in her Beach Park home on Friday, authorities said.

Michael Coleman, 47, of the 9700 block of 17th Street in Zion, also faces two counts of domestic battery/strangulation with additional charges also expected, according to a news release from the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Police were called to a home in the 9900 block of West Michigan Boulevard in Beach Park for a report of a woman being beaten by her estranged husband.

Deputies arrived at the home and found a 34-year-old woman struggling to breath. Deputies performed CPR on the woman and were able to restore her pulse before she was transported to a hospital in critical condition, police said.

"She had a weak, thready pulse, and agonal breathing, which if left without CPR, generally leads to death," said Christopher Covelli, deputy chief for the Lake County Sheriff's Office,.

Coleman, the woman's estranged husband and the father of her children, was arrested while leaving the scene, police said.

Detectives believe Coleman went to the woman's home to have a conversation with her, and the conversation turned into an argument, which caused Coleman to "become enraged," police said. Coleman is accused of strangling the woman and wrapping a belt around her neck before attempting to flee.

After reviewing the facts and circumstances of the incident, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved the following charges against Coleman:

“The actions of our deputies on this scene were nothing short of heroic and lifesaving. They acted quickly to stop a fleeing suspect, render emergency medical aid, and stabilize a critically injured victim under extremely stressful conditions," said Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg.

The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office intends to file a petition to detain Coleman in custody while awaiting trial.