Man not guilty due to insanity for crash that killed Woodstock woman seeks freedom to leave facility

A man found not guilty by reason of insanity when he purposely drove his vehicle into another car in 2011, killing a Woodstock mother of four, is seeking supervised, off-site passes from the Elgin mental health facility where he is housed.

Luis E. Ramirez-Arguelles, 34, of Round Lake Beach, was taken into the custody of the Illinois Department of Human Services in 2014 after a trial in McHenry County presided over by now-retired Judge Sharon Prather.

Ramirez-Arguelles had claimed that he heard voices that told him to stop the “bad guys” in the car driven by 38-year-old Sonia Hume just before crashing into her, according to court testimony and Northwest Herald reports at the time.

His attorney, Assistant Public Defender Matthew Feda, filed a motion in the McHenry County courthouse last week saying that Ramirez-Arguelles has been in custody with the IDHS in a secure setting receiving in-patient treatment for 10 years.

Under the law, “a defendant may petition the court for treatment plan review and modification of that treatment plan,” according to the motion.

“The IDHS has filed a treatment plan report dated Sept. 14, 2023, detailing [the] defendant’s compliance with its previous treatment plans and his progress during his commitment,” according to the motion. “The IDHS has modified its treatment plan and is requesting this court permit the IDHS to allow [the] defendant supervised off-ground passes.”

The off-site passes, according to the IDHS, are “ordinary modifications made to treatment plans” as part of a person’s “ongoing rehabilitation,” according to the motion.

If allowed by the court, passes are given at the discretion of the IDHS and can be refused at any time.

“The modification requested will not result in any threat to the defendant’s health or safety or the safety of the public,” according to the motion.

During his trial, Ramirez-Arguelles told authorities that he had special powers, that he could see into hearts, and that he believed he was a ninja, according to earlier reports.

Prosecutors said that about 7 a.m. Aug. 5, 2011, Ramirez-Arguelles drove more than 55 mph into oncoming traffic on Tryon Grove Road, just east of Barnard Mill Road near Hebron.

The defendant had been found psychologically incompetent to stand trial before the stipulated bench trial. A stipulated trial is one in which both sides already have agreed to all the facts in a case; a bench trial means the outcome was decided by a judge, not a jury.

Competency, or fitness, pertains to a defendant’s current mental status and ability to assist in the defense. The question of insanity addresses whether a defendant is legally able to tell the difference between right and wrong while committing a crime.

Although prosecutors proved that Ramirez-Arguelles was guilty of first-degree murder, Prather also found that the defense provided “clear and convincing” evidence that he suffered from a mental disease at the time, according to earlier reports.

His defense attorney at the time, Michael Melius, said his client was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

”There is no evidence to indicate that he was anything other than insane at the time this happened,” Melius said.

A fitness hearing and arguments on the defendant’s request for additional freedom are set for April 3.