Joliet man sentenced to 25 years in prison for savage beating of his girlfriend and her father

in

March 24

JOLIET – Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow announced Tuesday (March 24, 2009) that a Joliet man who savagely beat his girlfriend and her father last year was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Armando Jacobo, 23, was found guilty of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery of a senior citizen by Associate Judge Robert Livas at the conclusion of a bench trial in January.

Jacobo brutally beat Jennifer Gutierrez and her father, Juan Gutierrez, in the early-morning hours of April 26, 2008.

Jacobo and Jennifer Gutierrez had gotten into a fight while they were out the prior evening. Jacobo dropped Jennifer Gutierrez at home, but returned later and began to beat and kick both her and her father.

The extended beating was so severe that Jennifer Gutierrez’s eyes were swollen shut and her lip was ripped from her face, requiring plastic surgery. Jacobo also beat her with a tree branch in her backyard.

Juan Gutierrez, who was at his daughter’s house to protect her from Jacobo, suffered a broken ankle and severe brain injuries that required surgery. He also lost his front teeth in the attack. He continues to suffer from dizzy spells, and he told the court Tuesday that he refuses to smile because he is embarrassed by his missing teeth.

“This was a savage attack by a coward who is devoid of even the slightest sense of empathy or compassion for others,” State’s Attorney Glasgow said. “Our streets will be safer while Jacobo is serving a lengthy prison sentence for this brutal beating.”

Judge Livas, in handing down the sentence, described the case as “one of the most vicious attacks on two human beings I’ve ever seen.” The judge said Jacobo showed no mercy during the beating, and that he could expect none at sentencing.

Glasgow credited the first-rate investigation by the Joliet Police Department and skillful trial work by his prosecutors, Assistant State’s Attorneys Kathy Patton and Frank Byers, with putting this dangerous criminal behind bars.