A 63-year-old Illinois man was sentenced last week to 10 years in prison for the attempted murder of his estranged wife in 2019.
Patrick O’Brien was caught on a neighbor’s security camera chasing his wife from their home on the neighbor’s back patio on December 21, 2019, and stabbing her in the chest, the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office said. The neighbor opened the back door, throwing O’Brien to the ground before he could stab her again.
The camera filmed him stabbing himself before throwing the knife away.
O’Brien was found guilty of attempted murder and aggravated domestic battery in August.
The brutal attack shown in graphic detail on the home surveillance system captures the gruesome savagery of the attack by a controlling man who decided that if the marriage was over then his wife should die. There is no question that the neighbor’s miraculous intervention saved Mrs. O’Brien’s life,” Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow said.
“This case bears out the stark reality in domestic violence that the most dangerous time for a survivor is when they leave their partner. Seventy-five percent of domestic violence homicides occur when the victim has left the relationship. Domestic violence is about control and power, and this harrowing near-deadly assault was the attempt at exerting ultimate control.”
O’Brien and his wife were separated when he came over to pick up some belongings. The victim was in the kitchen when he picked up a large kitchen knife and said something “to the effect of ‘if we’re done, then we’re done’” as he came after her. She ran out the back door to the neighbors as O’Brien chaed her, calling out that “you’re faster than I thought.”
He is seen on camera pushing her into the wall and then, as she raises her arms to try to defend herself, shoving the knife into her chest while yelling an expletive. At that moment, the neighbor opened the door, knocking O’Brien down.
O’Brien will be given 38 days credit for time served and must serve a minimum of 8 and a half years before he can be considered for parole. Once he is released, he will serve a mandatory three years of supervised release.
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[Featured image: Patrick O’Brien/Will County State’s Attorney’s Office]
