Charges against man accused of shooting at Huntley home in 2022 upgraded to premeditated murder – Shaw Local

An Elgin man has had his charges upgraded to first-degree murder. In 2022, he was accused of beating a 67-year-old woman with a pistol and shooting two men in a Huntley home. One of the men died months later.

Lewis McCracken, 29, is also charged with burglary, aggravated assault, burglary, dangerous discharge of a firearm, illegal possession of a weapon and aggravated assault, according to the indictment filed in McHenry County Court.

He is also accused of attempted murder for shooting a 29-year-old man in the house, who suffered injuries to his elbow.

McCracken, who has been in custody since last year, was initially charged with attempted murder of Mark Wahlstedt, 68. When Wahlstedt died three months after the shooting, McHenry County Prosecutor Patrick Kenneally said he was not yet sure whether the charge would be upgraded. Lake County Deputy Coroner Steve Newton said at the time that he did not believe Wahlstedt's death was caused by the shooting but by underlying conditions he had been diagnosed with before the shooting.

During McCracken's arraignment on Thursday and a hearing to continue his detention at the county jail, Assistant District Attorney Bill Bruce said Wahlstedt's autopsy was reviewed by Dr. Scott Denton. Denton, a medical examiner, “determined that the cause of death of Mark Wahlstedt was complications from injuries sustained from the gunshot wound to the leg and that the manner of death was homicide,” the petition states.

This finding led to the increased fees.

Bruce argued that McCracken should continue to be held in custody, saying McCracken is a flight risk and a danger to the alleged surviving victims and the community. Bruce detailed McCracken's current charges as well as his criminal past, which dates back to before he was 18.

Defense attorney Brian Stevens argued for McCracken's release, saying electronic monitoring and GPS could protect the alleged victims and the community. Stevens said that while McCracken's current residence is in Elgin, he could be moved to McHenry County if the judge requires it. Stevens also questioned the new determination that the alleged shooting was the cause of Wahlstedt's death, noting that it took the state two years to find a medical examiner who could establish a connection between the shooting and the death.

Judge Tiffany Davis granted the state's request to keep McCracken in custody.

Prosecutors allege that at about 4 a.m. on July 18, 2022, McCracken was driven by another person to a home in the Wing Pointe neighborhood while armed with a .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol, according to a motion to deny pretrial release read by Bruce in court Thursday.

McCracken wanted to confront the 29-year-old man who lived in the home in connection with a previous altercation in Elgin, prosecutors said. They said McCracken banged on the door and the 67-year-old woman responded. When she realized it wasn't police officers, she tried to slam the door in McCracken's face to prevent him from entering the home, but McCracken forced his way in, prosecutors said.

The two men then “came down the stairs after hearing the commotion and shouting. At this point [McCracken] was armed with a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol in his hand. Mark Wahlstedt was also armed with a .380 caliber pistol and ordered [McCracken] go. [McCracken] disarmed Mark Wahlstedt and a fight ensued,” the petition states.

“The defendant hit with the pistol [the woman] with his gun in the head and fired several shots at Mark Wahlstedt and the 29-year-old man. Mark Wahlstedt was shot in the upper thigh, injuring arteries … and [the younger man] was shot in the elbow,” the petition states.

The police found five cartridge cases at the crime scene, the petition said. Wahlstedt never fired his pistol, the public prosecutor's office said.

Wahlstedt was hospitalized and treated for “critical and deteriorating health. After multiple surgeries and treatment for his gunshot wound, he died on October 7, 2022,” the petition states. Wahlstedt died at a rehabilitation facility in Lake County, McHenry County state's attorneys said.

Shortly after the shooting, McCracken and the driver were allegedly involved in a series of incidents, including an armed carjacking and a hit-and-run chase through several suburbs, Bruce said.

McCracken then fled to California, went to Mexico and then to Donora, Pennsylvania, where he was arrested on September 26, 2022, after a two-and-a-half-hour standoff with police, prosecutors said. As of January 3, 2023, he was in custody of the McHenry County Jail, where he remains to this day.

If convicted of murder, McCracken could spend the rest of his life in prison, Bruce said. McCracken is due back in court on Oct. 10.