Man pleads guilty in 1985 murder of 15-year-old Kristina Wesselman

Friends of Glenbard South High School student Kristina Wesselman are expressing relief that justice will soon be served following her murder in 1985.

Michael Jones, 64, on Jan. 18 pleaded guilty to the murder of the 15-year-old, who attended Glenbard South High School. He is being held without bond. His trial had been set to begin at 10 a.m. Jan. 23.

DuPage County Judge George Bakalis accepted his plea, which carries an 80-year prison sentence. He is being sentenced under 1985 sentencing guidelines, which means he will have to serve at least 40 years in prison, followed by three years of parole, DuPage County State's Attorney's Office spokesman Paul Darrah said. He could have been sentenced between 20 years and life in prison, Darrah said.

Jones will be formally sentenced Jan. 23. Members of Wesselman's family plan to speak at a news conference following the court hearing.

"It’s comforting to know Jones will never be able to attack or abuse young women again. It feels just that he can no longer live as a free man," said Bridget Skully King, Wesselman's neighbor and friend, in an email. King is a 1988 graduate of Glenbard South and a member of Wesselman's class.

King said she was grateful to DuPage County investigators for their perseverance in solving the case.

"Nothing can ever compensate for Kristy’s lost life or for the years we’ve had to endure without her," King said. "It’s been extremely painful to find out what a violent, psychopathic sadist Jones is and to learn of the torture he inflicted on others, the pain affecting their loved ones, and the unknown of other victims he may have had. But after Tuesday, he is no longer our concern. Now we move forward, again, celebrating the vibrant and impactful life that Kristy Wesselman lived and the positivity she impressed upon all those who knew her. She was an intelligent, active, curious and kind person who loved life. The world would be better off had we been able to keep her in it."

Wesselman, a Glenbard South sophomore, was murdered July 21, 1985, while she was walking home from the former Jewel food store near Butterfield Road and Route 53 near Glen Ellyn. She was last seen walking on a well-traveled path back toward her residence in the Valley View subdivision. Wesselman never returned home, and she was subsequently reported missing by her mother.

Her body was found the next day by DuPage County sheriff’s detectives in a field near the path where she was last seen walking. She had been sexually assaulted and stabbed eight times, DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said at the time of Jones's arrest.

In September 2015, the DuPage County Crime Laboratory informed detectives from the Sheriff’s Office there was a DNA match through the combined DNA index system that identified a specific person as the contributor of the DNA profile obtained from the sexual assault kit performed during Wesselman’s autopsy. Further investigation led by the sheriff’s cold case unit with assistance from the State’s Attorney’s Office led to Jones.

On July 2, 2015, Jones pleaded guilty to aggravated domestic battery in Champaign County. Because it was a felony, Jones was required to submit a DNA sample to the Illinois State Police, DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said at the time.

"After that sample was submitted or shorty thereafter, the investigators got notification there was a match," Berlin said.

In September 2015, authorities from DuPage County traveled to Champaign, took Jones into custody and returned him to DuPage County to face the charges against him. Jones was required to submit to a buccal swab pursuant to a search warrant, with the results of that test further linking him to the crime, Berlin said.

At the time of the sexual assault and murder, Jones was on parole for a 1977 sexual assault in Schiller Park. He pleaded guilty in the case and served less than seven years in prison, Berlin said.