Plainfield Child Molester Gets 12 Life Sentences

PLAINFIELD, IL — A Plainfield man will spend the rest of his days behind bars after he was sentenced to 12 consecutive life sentences in a horrific abuse case. David B. Libby, 52, was found guilty in March of sexually assaulting two children repeatedly over a 14-year period.

Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow announced Tuesday that Circuit Judge Sarah Jones sentenced Libby to the life sentences, one for each of 12 counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child. Under Illinois law, the class X felony carries a mandatory life sentence, and the sentences must run consecutively.

Libby's abuse, which began in 2004, came to light in 2014 when an alert teacher contacted a school social worker after a child made a troubling comment on a written test. The student eventually reported the abuse to the social worker, who contacted Plainfield police.

Libby admitted to sexually assaulting the children during a police interview, authorities said. He has been in custody at the Will County jail since his February 2015 arrest, held on $5 million bond.

“David Libby is a vile monster who engaged in the repeated and horrific sexual abuse of two children from a time when they were very young and impressionable,” Glasgow said “It took tremendous courage for them to come forward and testify against this vile and unrepentant predator. They helped police and prosecutors place him behind bars where he will never harm another child and where he will certainly draw his final breath.”

Glasgow said it was a team effort that took Libby off the streets. He credited Plainfield Police for conducting a first-rate investigation and his prosecutors, Mary Fillipitch and Kelly Tebo, for their skilled trial work that secured the conviction and life sentence.

He also applauded the staff at the Will County Children’s Advocacy Center, including forensic interviewer Jaclyn Lundquist, for obtaining recorded statements from the two children that sealed the defendant’s fate, as well as the director of his Victim Witness Services Office, Nichole Pasteris, who guided the children through a lengthy and difficult court process.

And he thanked Cheri Johnson, who supervises the handling of his team of therapy dogs, Kiwi, Jackson and Mally. The dogs comforted the children at each step in the court proceedings.

Photo of David Libby via Will County State's Attorney's Office