Second man charged with breaking into Wheaton, Lombard homes get 72-year prison sentence

The second of two men charged with breaking into homes in Wheaton and Lombard and shooting a homeowner in August 2020 has been sentenced to 72 years in prison, prosecutors said.

Isaiah Johnson, 24, formerly of Blue Island, appeared at his sentencing hearing March 28 in front of Judge Margaret O’Connell, who handed down the sentence.

On Aug. 2, 2023, Johnson entered a blind plea of guilty to one count each of attempted murder and home invasion, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.

O’Connell imposed a sentence of 42 years for attempted murder to be served at 85% and a consecutive sentence of 30 years for home invasion to be served at 50%. In all, Johnson will be required to serve 50.7 years before being eligible for parole, according to the release.

On March 18, O’Connell sentenced Johnson’s co-defendant, Malik Pitts, 25, formerly of Broadview, to 60 years in prison after Pitts had earlier entered a blind plea of guilty to one count each of attempted murder, home invasion and attempted child pornography, according to the release.

At 5:04 a.m. Aug 23, 2020, Wheaton police responded to the 1700 block of East Evergreen Street for a home invasion. Residents reported that they heard noises coming from outside.

The homeowners exited the back door leaving the door unlocked. Once outside, the residents encountered Pitts and Johnson, at which time Johnson pointed a silver handgun at them as Pitts entered the residence through the back door.

Shortly after Pitts entered the residence, Johnson, armed with the gun, directed the victims to walk toward the rear of the residence. Once inside, Pitts entered a bedroom where two young girls and their grandmother were sleeping. He then attempted to pull down the blanket, shorts and underwear of one of the girls. However, the grandmother woke up and began speaking to Pitts at which time he struck her left cheek, ear and neck. The girls’ father entered the room and fought with Pitts. The men then fled the scene in a stolen vehicle, according to the release.

About 5:22 a.m. that morning, Lombard police responded to a call in the 400 block of South Highland Avenue for a home invasion and shooting that just occurred. In this case, the male homeowner was awoken by Pitts and Johnson in his living room with Johnson pointing a gun at him asking, “Where’s the money?”

Pitts then went to the upstairs bedroom where the mother and her daughter were sleeping in the same bed. He ordered them to the main floor of the house and then ordered the daughter to the basement and ordered her to remove her clothing. When the girl refused and fled, a physical struggle ensued between the father and Pitts, according to the release.

The struggle went into the backyard of the residence leaving Johnson with a gun behind them. During the struggle, Johnson fired multiple gunshots, one striking the father in the chest and one into the family car. The gunshot that hit the father went through him and struck Pitts as well, authorities said.

Johnson and Pitts fled the scene in the same stolen vehicle driven by a third co-defendant, Keytori Jackson. Jackson has been sentenced to 14 years for her role in the matter.

“The shockingly violent behavior of Mr. Johnson and Mr. Pitts violated the sanctity of their victims’ homes,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “We all deserve to feel safe and secure in our homes and crimes such as those committed by these two defendants shroud entire communities under a blanket of fear and anxiety, leaving residents worried about their own personal safety. The sentences levied by Judge O’Connell against both men sends the strong message that in DuPage County, we value public safety and anyone who threatens the safety of our communities will pay a significant price.”