Plainfield brothers sentenced to prison over mother’s death in neglect case

Two Plainfield brothers were each sentenced to seven years in prison after they pleaded guilty to criminal neglect of their elderly mother, who died after suffering from months of poor care and lack of medical treatment.

On Thursday, Will County Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak handed down the prison sentence on Keith Chapman, 44, and his brother, Craig Chapman, 46, following a court hearing at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet.

The brothers were arrested in 2021 after officers discovered their mother, Mary Ellen Chapman, 73, was barely surviving in horrid living conditions at her residence in the 1500 block of Route 59 in Plainfield, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors said the mother was found lying on a blow-up mattress soaked in fresh urine, blood, bodily fluids and insects. She later died from a fractured femur and other medical issues that afflicted her for months without proper treatment.

Keith and Craig Chapman pleaded guilty to criminal abuse or neglect of an elderly person. Prosecutors said the brothers failed to provide adequate care to their mother and failed to ensure she received medical treatment.

Those failures resulted in the death of Mary Ellen Chapman.

“You’re grown men and you had guidance from people. You ignored it,” Bertani-Tomczak said.

Bertani-Tomczak said she believed the brothers’ lack of proper care for their mother was “inexcusable” and went beyond neglect. She said their mother had suffered a fall in November 2020 and an ambulance was not called until about four months later.

“I’ve seen the photographs. I can’t imagine someone living in those conditions,” Bertani-Tomczak said.

The attorneys for the brothers contended they were “overwhelmed” with caring for their mother.

“They’re not professional caregivers. They were trying to do what their mother wanted,” attorney Timothy Specht said.

Attorney Eric Berg said the brothers’ crime was one of negligence, not malice or violence. Berg said concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic could have played a role in Mary Ellen Chapman not visiting a doctor.

But Bertani-Tomczak said she did not accept COVID-19 as an excuse for the mother’s lack of proper medical treatment.

Keith and Craig Chapman told Bertani-Tomczak they loved their mother and regretted what happened.

“I wish I would have called the paramedics way sooner,” Keith Chapman said.

Will County Assistant State’s Attorney Christine Vukmir said photographs from residence showed the “horrific life” that Mary Ellen Chapman had to endure. She said the brothers were told by multiple people their mother needed medical attention.

“They neglected to do that,” Vukmir said.

Vukmir said the mother was wearing an oxygen mask when she was found by paramedics but it wasn’t even operating.

Dawn Hendrix, Mary Ellen Chapman’s daughter, testified Thursday that her mother had a “kind soul” who upheld “old-fashioned values.” She said she and her siblings had a normal childhood until their father died.

Hendrix said her brothers became abusive to everyone, including their mother. She said she wanted her mother to live with her but she “couldn’t turn her back on her sons.”

Hendrix said her brothers would make up excuses for why she couldn’t speak with her mother. She said she had no idea her brothers “were capable of what was to come.”

“The thought of what she endured haunts me daily,” Hendrix said.