Joliet man sentenced to 11 years in prison over brutal Rockdale attack

A Joliet man was sentenced to 11 years in prison after a judge found him guilty of brutally beating his ex-girlfriend three years ago in Rockdale.

On Aug. 13, Judge Dan Rippy found Jason Errichetto, 48, not guilty of attempted murder in connection with the 2017 incident but he did find him guilty of eight other charges of aggravated domestic battery, aggravated battery and domestic battery.

Rippy sentenced Errichetto on Tuesday to 11 years in prison on three of those charges and three years in prison on the remaining five charges, according to Will County State’s Attorney spokeswoman Carole Cheney.

Errichetto will serve both sentences concurrently, putting his total sentence at 11 years but he may not serve that entire time in prison.

Errichetto must serve 85% of his 11-year prison sentence and 50% of his 3-year sentence, Cheney said. He will also receive credit for the time he’s served in the Will County jail since Nov. 30, 2017.

During Errichetto’s bench trial, Will County Assistant State’s Attorney Adam Capelli argued Errichetto was “enraged” by his former girlfriend when she turned her back on him and left a bar in Rockdale while they were having drinks.

Capelli said Errichetto was seen on video treating the woman “like a piece of meat” and then abandoning her after he attacked her.

“He didn’t care what happened to her,” he said.

Prosecutors showed outdoor video that captured what they said was Errichetto dragging the woman by one arm across the pavement outside a bar, kicking her at least five times and then dragging her beyond the fenced entryway.

The woman was left lying on the ground outside the entrance of the bar until she was found by police the next morning.

Errichetto’s attorney Chuck Bretz said there was “absolutely no evidence of intent to kill” from his client.

Bretz argued there was no proof Errichetto was “enraged” with his ex-girlfriend or he intended to kill her. He said there was no evidence of threats or a motive that he wanted to kill her.

Bretz argued none of the woman’s injuries were life-threatening and that her more severe injuries could have been caused by a “terrible fall.”

He said the video showed behavior that was “disturbing” and “shameful,” but didn’t support the charges filed against Errichetto.

“Even though the video was very painful to watch, we can only deal with the evidence presented and the charges filed,” he said.

Jason Christopher Errichetto, 45, of the 100 block of Madonna Avenue in Joliet was arrested by the Rockdale police and booked into the Will County jail Thursday on charges of domestic battery, aggravated battery and attempted murder.

Source: The Daily Chronicle