25 Years For Ex-Kane County Man Who Told Kids To 'Watch' Mom Die

CARPENTERSVILLE, IL — The Kane County State's Attorney's Office reported a former Carpentersville resident was sentenced to 25 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections Tuesday by Kane County Associate Judge Linda Abrahamson. According to a release from the state's attorney's office, Chad W. Conway, 40, of Carpentersville and most recently from the 11000 block of Oxbow Drive, Roscoe, was sentenced for unlawfully possessing a handgun in 2015. Conway was convicted of the felony offense of armed habitual criminal and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon by a Kane County Jury back in February 2017, the state's attorney's office said.

According to a release, Kane County Assistant State’s Attorney Mark D. Stajdohar presented evidence during Conway's trial that claimed Conway went to a home in the 1700 block of Papoose Road, Carpentersville around 3:30 a.m., on March 21, 2015, and placed a handgun and later a wad of cash on the kitchen table.

The state's attorney's office reported one other adult was also in the kitchen and two children were asleep in the home during that time. The victim, who officials said is the children's mother, came into the kitchen and confronted Conway about the handgun (a Ruger Black hawk .357 magnum revolver), before she put it in a drawer and told Conway to leave, according to a release.

The victim then took a $20 bill from Conway for her troubles, before Conway got the gun and fired it at a kitchen wall, then demanded she return his money, according to the state's attorney's office. The woman then took another $20 bill for damage to her wall, and Conway fired another shot, the release said. Both bullets shot by Conway went through the kitchen wall and outside toward the street, officials said.

According to a release, the state's attorney's office said Conway grabbed the victim by the throat, put the gun's muzzle to her forehead, forced her into the living room and onto the couch before he called the victim’s children to “come watch your mother die.”

After the incident ended, the state's attorney's office said Conway left the home, and the victim called 911.

According to a release, Conway was prohibited from having a gun because of previous convictions, including cocaine delivery, aggravated battery, domestic battery, unlawful possession of a weapon, battery and aggravated assault.

“Twenty-five years is an appropriate sentence," Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon said, in a release. "This defendant has shown time and time again that he is a violent and career criminal. The community is safer with him in prison.”