Man accused in hammer attack near Union was previously convicted of attempted murder

Prosecutors said a felon with a decades-long criminal history – including a conviction for attempted murder – poured gasoline on another homeless man near Union and beat him with a hammer, causing “severe injuries.”

Wayne J. Christiansen, 78, is charged with three counts of aggravated battery, Class 3 felonies, according to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and court records.

Christiansen – whom prosecutors described as homeless but who also has a Villa Park address in court records – made his first appearance before a judge Thursday.

Judge Jeffrey Altman detained Christiansen pretrial after hearing details about the alleged attack that occurred about 7 p.m. Wednesday, as well as what was described as Christiansen’s lengthy, violent criminal history.

Assistant State’s Attorney Garrett Miller said Christiansen, who had been living in his van in a McDonald’s parking lot in Woodstock, caused the alleged victim “severe injuries,” including a cracked skull. Miller also said first responders were unable to use a medical helicopter to take the man to the hospital because of the gasoline Christiansen had poured on him.

The man was bloodied and dazed as he tried to flag down someone to help him, Miller said, adding that Christiansen admitted he hit the unarmed man.

“The victim punched him, and he beat him with a hammer,” Miller said. “This was a completely disproportionate response.”

Miller said Christiansen’s actions put him “at the highest level of dangerousness.”

The prosecutor also highlighted Christiansen’s “extensive criminal history” dating back to 1964, which includes convictions for theft, assault, battery, drug charges, unlawful restraint and unlawful use of a weapon. Christiansen was imprisoned multiple times, including a 12-year sentence for attempted murder in 1984, Miller said. In 1990, Christiansen was charged again with attempted murder, but that was amended to a lesser offense, Miller said.

Christiansen also was on pretrial release for a marijuana charge, authorities said. Miller said Christiansen told police that he didn’t call for help for the man because he had marijuana in the van and didn’t want it to be towed.

In Christiansen’s defense, Assistant Public Defender David Giesinger described the case as one of “self-defense.” He said that after giving the man a ride to Union, Christiansen wanted him to get out of his van and, when he wouldn’t, Christiansen grabbed a hammer and tapped it on the window as if to coax the man to leave. But then the man grabbed the hammer from Christiansen, who grabbed it back, and a struggle ensued, Giesinger said.

Giesinger also said the violent acts in Christiansen’s history are more than 30 years old, including the attempted murder conviction.

In detaining him, Altman agreed with the prosecutor and said the “use of a hammer seems excessive.”

The sheriff’s office, along with Marengo and Harvard police and the Marengo Fire and Rescue Districts, were called to the area of the intersection of Dunham and East Coral roads about 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Christiansen is due back in court June 12.