Former Crystal Lake teacher pleads guilty to attempted murder, receives 15 years in prison

Charles A. Hightower leaves the court room after a hearing Thursday, March 10, 2022, before Judge Robert Wilbrandt at the McHenry County Michael J. Sullivan Judicial Center. Hightower, a former Crystal Lake Elementary School District 47 teacher, faces attempted murder charges in connection with the October 2019 stabbing of three men in 100 block of Edgewood Avenue of Crystal Lake.

A former Crystal Lake Elementary School District 47 physical education teacher was sentenced to 15 years in prison Thursday after pleading guilty to two counts of attempted murder, according to McHenry County prosecutors and court records.

In 2019, Charles A. Hightower Jr., 40, of Rockton, was charged with stabbing three people at a bonfire in a North Shore neighborhood of Crystal Lake, according to authorities at the time.

In exchange for his negotiated plea, additional charges of three counts of aggravated battery were dismissed against Hightower, who was set to go to trial next week.

Authorities said he stabbed two men in the abdomen with a knife and another in the biceps.

The cuts to one of the men left his internal organs exposed and required immediate transportation to the emergency room, according to the indictment.

The other man who was stabbed multiple times in the torso was older than age 60 and also required immediate emergency care, authorities said at the time of the incident.

Charles A. Hightower Jr.

At Thursday’s hearing, where several supporters were present along with his victims, Hightower read a prepared statement apologizing for his actions on Oct. 24, 2019.

“I’m sorry for the pain and stress I’ve caused [the victims] and their families,” he said. “I’m sorry for letting down the 14 years’ worth of students, colleagues and families that I taught and worked with during my teaching career. I’m also very sorry for the pain and stress I’ve put on my family through this darkest time in my life.”

Hightower, who taught at Coventry Elementary School but was not employed by the district in October 2019, went on to thank God for saving the lives of his victims and himself “that extremely scary night.” He said at the time of the stabbing his “mental health was extremely poor.”

“What happened that night does not define me,” Hightower said. “I am a good man who was going through a dark time and instead of seeking God and help I isolated myself and turned to alcohol.”

After the sentencing, his attorney Matthew Haiduk said Hightower is “a good guy” who was experiencing a mental health crisis that night.

“I’d let him babysit my kid without hesitation,” Haiduk said. “He was going through a rough time, and unfortunately, we don’t have a system that deals with mental health issues correctly and we don’t have alternatives to prison.”

The executive pastor at Quentin Road Baptist Church in Lake Zurich also read a statement on Hightower’s behalf saying he had been counseling Hightower and his family since the incident.

The Rev. Paul Julian said he has witnessed Hightower and his wife ”completely reform their lives and rebuild their family.”


Charles A. Hightower enters the court room for his hearing Thursday, March 10, 2022, before Judge Robert Wilbrandt at the McHenry County Michael J. Sullivan Judicial Center. Hightower, a former Crystal Lake Elementary School District 47 teacher, faces attempted murder charges in connection with the October 2019 stabbing of three men in 100 block of Edgewood Avenue of Crystal Lake.

“In the midst of allowing God to work in their lives, they have in turn impacted the lives of dozens of people in our church, many of whom were themselves lost and looking for hope,” Julian said.

Julian said he had hired Hightower to work in the church full time overseeing the janitorial department in the church for the last year.

Defense attorneys had said in March they were moving toward a self-defense argument and Hightower’s father had said publicly that Hightower was acting in self-defense after being jumped at a bonfire.

However, Assistant State’s Attorney Ashley Romito said videotaped evidence shows Hightower was the aggressor.

“Unequivocally, he was the initial aggressor,” Romito said in an interview Thursday. “This was not a case of self-defense.”

Romito said the recording captured Hightower as he is stabbing one of his three victims saying, “You are going to die tonight.” Then, just before stabbing another victim, he is seen and heard saying “You’re next.”

“The defendant was willing to take responsibility for his crimes,” Romito said in explaining the negotiated plea. “[Hightower received] a significant prison sentence that did not deprecate the seriousness of the offenses. He demonstrated extreme remorse, and with the victims’ approval and presence in court, he was allowed to plead to two counts of first-degree murder [and receive] 15 years in prison.”

Although Romito disputes defense attorneys’ argument that Hightower was acting in self-defense, she does think he was acting out of “emotional distress,” she said.

Hightower, who was out on bond at the time of his sentencing, was immediately remanded into the jail.

He is required to serve 85% of his prison term. Upon release, he will serve 18 months of mandatory supervised release. He also is required to pay $6,481.80 in fines and fees. He will receive credit for 13 days in McHenry County jail following his initial arrest, according to orders filed in the McHenry County courthouse.