Nicholas Caban, 23, and Jacob Firestone, 22, were convicted on Saturday of second-degree murder in connection with Matthew Ascaridis' killing on September 17, 2022.
The Lake County State's Attorney's Office said around 5:15 a.m. that day, the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force responded to Fort Sheridan Beach and found the body of 45-year-old Ascaridis.
Ascaridis's wife testified that around 11 p.m. on September 16, 2022, the couple was packing for an upcoming trip when they heard loud noises near their home. She said Ascaridis had called the police twice to report the disturbance but was told at around 1 a.m. that it could take some time for an officer to arrive. According to his wife, Ascaridis headed to the beach after speaking to the officer on the phone.
The Forest Preserve officer who had spoken with Ascaridis that night told jurors he arrived at Fort Sheridan Beach around 2:15 a.m. to respond to the noise complaint but did not see or hear anything on the beach.
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Law enforcement officers testified that they responded to Caban's home around 5:20 a.m. after he called 911 to report an altercation. When officers arrived, they saw Firestone lying on the front yard and Caban standing nearby. Both men appeared injured but conscious.
One investigator told jurors that the Highland Park Police Department later interviewed Caban, who claimed that he and Firestone had a confrontation with Ascaridis and that Ascaridis had fallen on the beach.
Another investigator testified that during an interview at the hospital, Firestone claimed that Ascaridis beat both him and Caban. Prosecutors later argued that Firestone's claims were inconsistent with medical testimony and DNA evidence recovered from blood found at the scene.
During closing arguments, prosecutors argued that after the brutal beating, the defendants did not call police until hours later. Instead, prosecutors said, the defendants left Ascaridis alone on the beach, unable to move and gasping for air, before he succumbed to his injuries.
The next court date for Firestone and Caban is scheduled for June 18.