Still protesting his innocence, Frank Hill was sentenced to 90 years in prison Wednesday, effectively giving a life sentence to the man convicted of murder and arson in the death of his girlfriend. A Kane County jury convicted Hill, 33, on May 20 in the slaying four years ago of his longtime girlfriend, Karyn Pearson. He also was convicted of setting on fire her Gilberts townhome where they both had lived.
Judge Timothy Sheldon handed down the sentences — 60 years on three counts of first-degree murder and 30 years on a count of aggravated arson. Sheldon ordered the sentences to run consecutively.
While the crime likely deserved natural life in prison, Sheldon said, he could not give Hill that sentence because of a prosecution mistake.
The jury was not told that they could consider during their deliberations that Hill was eligible for enhanced sentencing — a life sentence — due to the heinous nature of the crime. Kane County Assistant State’s Attorney Greg Sams admitted to the error during his arguments at Wednesday’s hearing, but fought to have the enhanced sentencing considered anyway.
“Natural life is a reasonable sentence under the circumstances,†Sheldon said. But it would be a “reversible error†for him to give Hill that sentence, he said.
Burned beyond recognition
The 29-year-old victim’s charred remains were found the morning of Jan. 9, 2007, in the burned-out townhome she shared with Hill at 597 Telluride Drive. Two adjacent homes also were damaged by the fire.
Pearson’s body was burned beyond recognition. She was identified based on the four teeth that were not “melted†in the fire, Sams said during the sentencing hearing.
Much of the evidence against Hill was circumstantial. Due to the condition of Pearson’s body, it was impossible to determine the actual cause of death.
Evidence considered by the jury included friends and co-workers who said Pearson wanted to end the relationship, and neighbors who said they saw her silver Jaguar, which Hill usually drove, parked in the townhome’s driveway shortly before the fire was reported at 5:02 a.m. that day.
In addition, cellphone records put Hill near the home that morning, even though he told police he was driving toward Schaumburg at the time.
And Illinois Tollway Authority I-Pass records show the Jaguar was heading east through the Elgin toll plaza at 5:11 a.m.
It was Hill’s desire to keep on driving the Jaguar and living in a nice home without any financial responsibilities that drove him to kill Pearson, her mother, Mary Jo Pearson, said during her victim’s impact statement that she read in court.
During her reading, Hill stood up and immediately was told to sit. Hill then demanded that Mary Jo Pearson be sworn in. But Sheldon ruled it was too late to request that, since Public Defender Tom McCulloch had not asked for Mary Jo Pearson to be sworn in before she read the statement.
Hill went on to mutter “No†several times during Mary Jo Pearson’s statement, including when she called him a “coward.â€
When given his chance to speak at the hearing, Hill professed his innocence.
“I did not kill Karyn Pearson, nor did I set the fire on or about 597 Telluride Drive,†Hill said.
He accused people of lying at his trial and said the police were out to frame him for the crime from the beginning.
“Is it more important to be right or to do what is right?†Hill asked.
‘Grisly crime’
With the 90-year sentence, Hill is given credit for the time he has served since he was arrested in March 2007 and would be eligible for parole in a little over 80 years, said Mark Stajdohar, Kane County assistant state’s attorney.
“This is a just and appropriate sentence for a very grisly crime,†Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon said in a statement issued afterward.
“This defendant’s actions horrified an entire community and devastated a family. It is my hope that this sentence helps bring this part of the ordeal to an end for Karyn’s family and helps them begin to heal.
“Today’s sentence ordered by Judge Sheldon reflects Mr. Hill’s callousness toward Karyn Pearson and human life in general. We are pleased that this defendant will not be eligible for release until he is nearly 115 years old.
“My thanks again to the Gilberts Police Department, the Kane County Major Crimes Task Force, the Kane County Fire Investigation Task Force, the Rutland-Dundee Township Fire Protection District and the Elgin Fire Department for their teamwork and contributions to this case.
“My thanks also to Kane County Assistant State’s Attorneys Greg Sams, Mark Stajdohar and Kim Klein, who pursued justice in this case for more than four years to hold Mr. Hill accountable for his criminal behavior.â€