After making a deal that only convicts him of one robbery, a migrant who was suspected of robbing two women and sexually assaulting one of them has avoided going to trial. Elvis Hernandez-Pernalete pleaded before Judge Ursula Walowski, and the prosecutors dismissed the sexual assault accusations and the second robbery case entirely.
Hernandez-Pernalete received a six-year prison term from Walowski. However, state law automatically reduces the sentence by 50% for good behavior, and he can be released in December 2026, less than three years after his arrest, thanks to additional credits he earned while inside.
After Hernandez-Pernalete, 29, was involved in two violent attacks within hours of one another in March 2024, prosecutors painted him as a menace to public safety.
Court documents claim that on the evening of March 16, he was seen following a woman from the UIC-Halsted Blue Line station on surveillance footage from the CTA and the University of Illinois Chicago campus. He caught her by the back and pulled her to the ground when they arrived at the 900 block of West Harrison Street. Prosecutors alleged that he rendered the girl unconscious by placing her in a leg lock and cutting off her oxygen supply.
Prosecutors claimed that after she fainted, he flipped her over, took her jewelry, and touched her body.
According to a prosecutor at his initial court appearance, [he] really confesses to the police that he thought he had killed her and [is] observed trying to transfer the victim’s body. When a witness noticed what was happening, Hernandez-Pernalete ran away.
According to authorities, he targeted a second woman three hours after she exited a CTA stop on the Northwest Side. Prosecutors said that during a robbery attempt, he strangled the woman.
Records reveal that Hernandez-Pernalete ultimately entered a guilty plea to robbing the first victim, despite the horrific accusations made during the initial court proceedings. The second case was dismissed completely, and the charges of sexual assault were discontinued.
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