He says he feels bad for the man's family.
"Everything that happened today was a tragedy. Somebody's father or somebody's son passed. All I was trying to do was protect my house and protect myself," said Mark Hayes, homeowner.
On Thursday, Hayes, 44, went into his garage, where he found the man armed with a hammer.
The former marine stabbed the man who is identified as 52-year-old Harold Cornell.
Illinois law allows homeowners to defend themselves if they sense imminent danger.
