Illinois teen sentenced after violently punching, kicking man with autism hundreds of times

KANE COUNTY, Ill. - A teen will spend eight years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after brutally beating a man with autism in Kane County last year. 

Sebastian P. Kegebein, 17, of West Chicago, agreed to the sentence in exchange for a guilty plea to the offense of attempted first-degree murder. 

At about 7 p.m. on July 23, 2023, Kane County Sheriff's deputies and paramedics responded to a 911 call on 0N785 Old Kirk Road after a report of a 19-year-old man being violently beaten.

When officers arrived, they determined that the man had autism and was mercilessly punched and kicked hundreds of times in the face, head and body. He was forcefully and repeatedly stomped on his head while he laid on the ground in a fetal position trying to protect himself.

After the attack, Kegebein and his alleged accomplice, Jacob Berrera, high-fived each other and left the man injured, bleeding and motionless on the ground. One of the attackers commented to the other, "He's gonna die."

The 19-year-old suffered life-threatening injuries, including an intracranial acute brain bleed, closed fracture of the nasal bone, laceration to the scalp requiring surgical repair, concussion, skull swelling and multiple other injuries requiring him to be hospitalized in the intensive care unit of Northwestern Hospital.

To this day, prosecutors say the man still suffers from permanent brain damage, cognitive impairments and seizures.

"Kegebein was three days shy of his 16th birthday when he committed this heinous crime. Because of the extreme level of violence and inexcusable conduct on the part of the defendant, the state transferred this case to adult criminal court where the defendant could be held accountable by receiving a sentence that reflected the severity of the crime he committed. The decision he made on July 23, 2023 to beat an innocent, unsuspecting man who thought he was their friend, cost him eight years of his freedom. This case sends the message that any person who commits a violent crime in Kane County will be prosecuted to the fullest extent, regardless of their age, as public safety and justice for all victims remains our top priority," said Assistant State's Attorney Debra Conforti.

Kegebein must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence. He will receive credit for 366 days served in detention. 

The case against Berrera is still pending. He was 18 at the time of the offense and was charged directly in adult court.

He has remained in jail since July 2023.