Appellate Court Kicks Out Lemont Man’s Murder Conviction

A Lemont man sentenced to 18 years in prison for a road rage murder should never have been found guilty, the appellate court ruled.

Christopher Yeoman, 44, was convicted in February 2014 of second-degree murder, the aggravated battery of a senior citizen, aggravated battery in a public place and aggravated battery causing great bodily harm.

Yeoman punched 64-year-old Frank Egas in June 2011.

“Egas was stunned or knocked out, fell back, and hit his head on the pavement,” according to an appellate court opinion.

Egas died in a Lake County nursing home three months later.

The confrontation between Egas and Yeoman was the culmination of an escalating road rage incident that began near the intersection of New Avenue and 135th Street. Yeoman, who was driving with his wife and three children, honked at Egas when he took too long making a left at a green arrow.

The men got out of their vehicles after stopping for a light at Route 53 and Yeoman punched Egas, sending him to the pavement.

In addition to vacating the second-degree murder conviction, the appellate court kicked out his convictions for aggravated battery on a public way and aggravated battery causing great bodily harm.
The appellate court ruled that Yeoman was “charged with second-degree murder under a knowing murder theory.”

“Therefore, one of the elements that the State had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt to prevail on the charge was the mental state element of ‘knowledge’ or ‘knowing’ — that (Yeoman) knew that his acts created a strong probability of death or great bodily harm to” Egas, the appellate opinion said.

The evidence failed to prove Yeoman knew that punching Egas had had a strong possibility of causing his death, the appellate court ruled.

Yeoman has already served more than two years in prison. He is incarcerated at Hill Correctional Center in Galesburg.

The appellate court ordered Yeoman’s case be sent back to Joliet so he can be resentenced.