Prosecutors: Elgin man accused of attempted murder had loaded handgun in Sycamore storage unit

SYCAMORE - DeKalb County prosecutors presented new evidence in court Friday which they said shows that an Elgin man accused of attempting to murder a woman tied her legs with rope and intended to take her to a storage facility in Sycamore where he had a loaded gun.

DeKalb County Assistant State’s Attorney Brooks Locke presented the information to Circuit Court Judge Phillip Montgomery during a bond hearing Friday for Tyler R. Palmer, 28, of the 2200 block of Colorado Avenue in Elgin. Palmer also is charged with aggravated domestic battery causing strangulation and unlawful restraint following an attack Sycamore police said they began investigating Nov. 5.

If convicted of the most serious crime, attempted first-degree murder, a Class X felony, Palmer could face up to 30 years in jail and fines up to $25,000.

The hearing was to decide whether Palmer should receive bail or not. The state’s attorney’s office had filed a motion to deny Palmer bail, and on Friday, Montgomery granted the request.

Palmer was represented by Public Defender Michelle Dietrich. He appeared virtually from the DeKalb County Jail, where he’s been held since his arrest on Nov. 6 and will remain throughout his court proceedings.

Dietrich couldn’t be reached for comment Friday.

Locke said his argument to Montgomery Friday centered around police documents, including reports of the attack and evidence obtained by Sycamore police during the investigation, including a “cracked tumbler, white rope, soiled clothing found in the victim’s residence and a handgun found in the defendant’s storage unit,” Locke said.

Prosecutors also cited Palmer’s criminal history, which includes three convictions for domestic violence including strangulation.

According to officials with the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office, the woman who was attacked told Sycamore police Palmer struck her in the head with an aluminum bottle and then choked her until she passed out. When she came to, she found Palmer on top of her pressing a pillow into her face. Her legs were tied with rope.

Prosecutors said the woman told police she heard Palmer threaten to take her to a storage facility. During a search of the storage unit, which prosecutors said was at Floit Brothers Storage in the 400 block of Wyman Street, police found a semi-automatic handgun.

The woman told police she’d gotten into a verbal argument with Palmer on Nov. 5, which escalated after it turned physical and he began to strike her in the face with a closed fist, records state.

Records show Palmer has a history of domestic violence in DeKalb and Kane counties, including felony domestic battery and drug convictions.

He was convicted in 2019 in DeKalb County for aggravated domestic battery causing strangulation after a 2018 incident in DeKalb and sentenced to 18 months of probation, including 180 days in jail.

In Kane County, Palmer was convicted in December 2013 of attempting to foil a drug screening test. In August 2013, he was sentenced to two years in prison for felony domestic battery. In October 2012, he was sentenced to two months in jail and two years probation for felony aggravated battery. And in February 2021, he was sentenced to 18 months probation for misdemeanor domestic battery.

Palmer also is the subject of several ongoing court hearings in DeKalb, records show, including Oct. 12 charges of misdemeanor battery, February and April 2020 drug charges and felony aggravated domestic battery charges from Nov. 12.

Palmer is next set to appear for a status hearing on the charges Nov. 22 at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 210.