An Orland Park man received a sentence of 40 years in the Department of Corrections Wednesday after being found guilty last month by an Ogle County jury of attempted 1st degree murder in connection with a stabbing which took place 3 years ago in Rochelle.
42-year old Jamil Saleh was also found guilty of 3 counts involving aggravated domestic battery and aggravated battery and 1 count of armed violence.
The domestic altercation involved the former wife of Saleh, Maha Bergeron of Rochelle.
The confrontation took place at Cooper Park in Rochelle on August 13th in 2009. Reports indicate that Saleh and Bergeron had a conversation prior to the stabbing. A butcher knife was used.
2 Rochelle police officers, which included Bergeron's husband, were at the park when the altercation took place.
Bergeron was stabbed in the chest and also received cuts to her face, hand, and leg.
In court yesterday, Circuit Judge Michael Mallon sentenced Saleh to 20 years for attempted 1st degree murder and another 20 years for armed violence. The other charges merged into the sentence.
Saleh has already done 3 years in jail since the stabbing. He will do another 31 years or 85 percent of the 40 year sentence in the Department of Corrections. He faced a prison sentence of 16 to 60 years.
Saleh did testify during the trial. The jury deliberated for about an hour before they announced their decision.