September 2, 1989 – An Addison woman who hired a hitman to kill her husband was sentenced to 100 years in prison. Du Page housewife Judith Benkowski confessed to paying a Chicago man, Edwarn Brown, to kill her husband. Benkowski’s friend, Debra Santana of Addison, who hired the hitman, was sentenced to 22 years after pleading guilty to Murder and Solicitation For Murder. Brown, who was paid $2,000 in cash plus wedding rings valued at roughly $4000, was sentenced to life without parole for shooting Clarence Benkowski in the head three times.
The trio tried to cover up the crime by ransacking the house, making it look like a burglary, but police were suspicious because there weren’t many items of value missing from the home. After intense questioning by police, Benkowski confessed to initiating the murder-for-hire scheme. Benkowski admitted to putting about 15 sleeping medication capsules in her husband’s coffee, which allowed Brown to approach the sleeping man and shoot him three times in the head. The prosecution said Benkowski’s motivation was that she hated her husband who would not divorce her.
Have You Been Accused of a Crime in Addision, Wheaton or DuPage County?
If you have been charged with a criminal offense in Addison or elsewhere in DuPage county, you should retain the services of an aggressive defense attorney who has experience in criminal law and is familiar with the Illinois justice system. While the crime you may be accused of committing may not be as heinous as the case described, even a misdemeanor conviction cause a great deal of problems and collateral consequences. A conviction, whether misdemeanor or felony, can make it difficult to find housing, get a loan, or get a job. Following are just a few of the over 45,000 state and federal collateral effects of having a misdemeanor conviction on your record:
- Permanent removal from the State Board of Education
- Permanently inelible as a state police officer
- Permanent removal from Metropolitan Transit Authority Board
- Permanent removal from eligibility list for civil service employment with Secretary of State
- The Children and Family Services Department will be notified, which can affect any type of custody decision
The list of felony collateral effects is much, much longer. For a searcheable list of consequences that match specific convictions, please visit http://www.abacollateralconsequences.org.
Contact a Qualified Du Page Criminal Lawyer
If you want a lawyer who will fight hard to protect your rights, call Criminal Defense Attorney David B. Franks. He will give you a free audit of your case and answer any questions you may have. He will aggressively defend you and make sure your rights are protected. Call 847-854-7700 today or fill out the form below.
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