November 21, 2023

 JOLIET— Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow announces that Circuit Judge Carmen Goodman on Monday found Darrius Brown, 42 of Plainfield, guilty of Aggravated Domestic Battery (a Class 2 felony), Aggravated Unlawful Restraint with a Deadly Weapon (a Class 3 felony), and Unlawful Restraint (a Class 4 felony) of his then-girlfriend in March 2018. Sentencing is scheduled for January 26, 2024. 

On March 17, 2018, defendant Brown was at the Plainfield residence of Jamie Hollingsworth, the mother of Brown’s child. Hollingworth was not present, and Brown was there with his girlfriend Elizabeth Balbuena. Brown, who according to Balbuena had been acting paranoid that day, became enraged after a phone call and threw a cell phone at her, splitting her skin open. After throwing the phone, Brown grabbed the back of Balbuena’s hooded jacket as she tried to go down the stairs, causing it to choke her, while telling her she was not going anywhere. He proceeded to follow Balbuena around the house, telling her she wasn’t going anywhere without him. Brown then grabbed Balbuena with both arms and shook her, smashing her head and back into the door of the closet near the entry, leaving visible bruises. He then put his forearm across her neck, constraining her breathing. 

Brown stopped momentarily when Balbuena’s five-year-old son asked what he was doing. After the boy left the room, Brown grabbed a nearby hammer and wielded it as if he was going to strike her, while still holding her with his full body weight against the closet door. Brown then forced Bulbuena to drive him to his mother’s house in Chicago, with her son in the car. Once they arrived, Brown stole her cell phone and ran into his mother’s apartment. Bulbuena followed 

Brown, trying to get her phone back, and Brown punched her in the eye. He also kicked and hit her, pushing her up against a wall and a table, again hitting her head on the wall. Then Brown, who was wearing Timberland boots, threw her to the ground and repeatedly kicked her throughout her body. At one point during the attack, Brown held himself off the ground using the door frame to enable him to repeatedly stomp the victim with both feet. Bulbuena was treated at the emergency room for bruising over her entire body, a black eye, cuts on her face and shin, and dizziness. 

On the date of Brown’s attack on Bulbuena, Hollingsworth was in the hospital for extensive injuries she sustained in a prolonged four-day attack by Brown that occurred from February 9 through 13,, 2018. Brown was found guilty on October 8, 2020, of Aggravated Domestic Battery in that attack following a bench trial in front of Judge Goodman. He was sentenced to 8 years in prison. 

With sentence enhancements for Brown’s criminal history, on the Aggravated Domestic Battery count Brown is eligible for a sentence of 6-30 years in prison to be served at 85%, with 4 years of mandatory supervised release. He is eligible for 2-10 years at 50% on the Aggravated Unlawful Restraint count and 1-6 years on the Unlawful Restraint count. Both offenses are probationable. 

Glasgow commended Assistant State’s Attorneys Mark Flesznewski and Katie Rabenda, Victim Witness Advocate Mallory Magee, Esther Borrego, former Victim Witness Advocate now with the Children’s Advocacy Center, Legal Secretary Traci Jasper, and IT Specialist Braulio Guzman for their work in this matter.