Gary Kamen, a Deerfield resident pled guilty to one count of First-Degree Murder — accused of killing his wife, Karyn Kamen in a brutal and heinous manner — on Wednesday, June 1, 2022.
On Friday, September 21, 2018, Gary Kamen, 59, admitted to police that he held his wife hostage for several hours in their home and stabbed her that same day.
“This has been a long and difficult case for the victim’s family and friends. I want to thank the prosecutors, investigators, and victim-witness counselors who have been working on this case since the beginning. Our office will continue to focus on the brutal nature of this crime during sentencing,” said State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart.
Kamen has been held in the Lake County Jail since he was arrested in September 2018. Originally, Kamen’s bond was set at $10 million. But after Assistant State’s Attorneys Lauren Kalcheim Rothenberg and Scott Hoffert argued he was a threat to the family, the court ordered that he be held without the ability to post bond.
After the guilty plea today, defense attorney, James Schwarzbach, asked that his client be given a mental health evaluation as part of the pre-sentence investigation.
A sentencing hearing is set to be on July 18, 2022. Kamen is facing at least 20 years in prison with a potential life sentence. Presiding Judge Daniel Shanes said that with this type of conviction, a person must serve 100% of the sentence imposed.
Deerfield police responded about 3:40 p.m. Friday September 21, 2018 to the report of a stabbing of a 53-year-old woman in the block of 1000 Peachtree Lane in Deerfield.
Police and firefighter/paramedics found a 53 year-old woman suffering from stab wounds. According to police, she was transported to a local hospital with “significant injuries” but died Saturday afternoon September 22, 2018. The woman was identified as Karyn Kamen, according to Sgt. Christopher Covelli, spokesman for the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force. On Friday, the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force was immediately called in to assist Deerfield police with the crime investigation because of the severity of the woman’s injuries.
Lake County Major Crimes Task Force officials had stated Friday that a preliminary investigation indicated the incident involved the woman and a family member. On Saturday, the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force announced that Gary A. Kamen, age 55, “a relative” of Karyn Kamen, was arrested and has been charged with murder. The husband and wife lived at the same address. Gary A. Kamen was scheduled to appear in Lake County Court on Sunday morning, September 23, 2018.
Deerfield police and the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force are continuing the investigation of the stabbing. Police stated the stabbing is believed to be isolated, and that there was no threat to the community connected to the domestic stabbing incident.
Gary A. Kamen, Deerfield homicide suspect.
Gary A. Kamen, Deerfield homicide suspect.
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