A Naperville woman has been denied pre-trial release after prosecutors maintained that she stabbed two young girls while babysitting in November.
Jennifer Kouchoukos, 51, of the 300 block of Rollingridge Road, appeared in court on Wednesday and faces two counts of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated battery to a child under the age of 13, according to a press release from DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin and Lisle Chief of Police Kevin Licko.
What happened?
On November 17, around 5:15 p.m., Lisle police responded to a home on Mattson Lane for an attempted suicide call. When officers arrived on the scene, deputies found one child sitting in a bathroom covered in blood and another child on the kitchen floor also covered in blood. Officers on the scene found Kouchoukos wearing blood-soaked clothing, unresponsive, and unable to answer questions.
After an investigation, it is alleged that Kouchoukos stabbed both children multiple times in their back and chest areas. Authorities on the scene found multiple knives that appeared to be blood-stained along with an empty bottle of wine and a near-empty bottle of rum.
The two children involved were taken to a local hospital for medical attention before being transferred to Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago.
“This is an extremely disturbing case for all those involved,” Berlin said in the press release. “We are all very grateful that the injuries sustained by the young girls in this case were not life-threatening and that they both appear to be on the road to recovery. I commend Lisle Police Department for their efforts on this very upsetting case. I also thank Assistant State’s Attorney Mike Fisher and Investigator Leticia Rodriguez-Lilly of the DuPage County Children’s Advocacy Center for their work preparing charges against this defendant.”
A quick response from Lisle police
When the Lisle Police Department learned that injured children were involved they took immediate action.
“What a horrific incident our officers were faced with, I cannot praise them enough,” Licko said in the press release. “Once they knew there were injured children inside, the officers rushed into the house without hesitation. I commend them for executing their job skillfully and professionally. I especially want to thank Detective Sergeant Jim Eccardt and his team for their hard work on this challenging case. In addition, I’d like to thank the DuPage County Children’s Advocacy Center and State’s Attorney Bob Berlin’s office for their support and legal guidance.”
Kouchoukos’s next court appearance is scheduled for Friday, January 12. Members of the public are also reminded that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Photo courtesy: DuPage County State’s Attorney
