Naperville Man Sentenced For Stabbing Couple In Their Home

NAPERVILLE, IL — A former Naperville man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for breaking into a home and stabbing a man and a woman in 2015. Zachary Machnikowski, 22, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of attempted first degree murder in late June 2018.

The charges stem from the early morning hours of March 31, 2015, when prosecutors said Machnikowski entered a home on Iroquois Avenue and stabbed a man and woman "multiple times in the face, head, hands and abdomen.

When police got to the scene, they say they found the man and woman lying in the living room "covered in blood." Police say that in the moments leading up to the stabbing, Machnikowski had broken into the home and attacked the couple as they slept.

During Machnikowski's sentencing, DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said, "In the middle of the night, Zachary Machnikowski broke into an innocent couple’s home, armed himself with a large knife and attacked the homeowners while they slept. This was a senseless act of horrific violence which will forever have an impact on the victims and the community."

Machnikowski must serve 85 percent of his 20-year sentence before he becomes eligible for parole.