A Wisconsin man has been convicted of attempted first‑degree murder in a brutal 2024 attack at a McHenry park that left a 59‑year‑old woman clinging to life and injured a Good Samaritan who tried to save her. Judge Tiffany Davis delivered the verdict after a bench trial in McHenry County, where prosecutors described the incident as a sudden, unprovoked explosion of violence.
Judge’s ruling and the charges
Judge Davis found 47‑year‑old Raymond Link guilty of attempted first‑degree murder and six counts of aggravated battery, according to the Chicago Sun‑Times. Prosecutors said the May 5, 2024 attack at Petersen Park involved Link beating, strangling and stomping the woman while his off‑leash dog also mauled her.
“This was a horrific act of violence that forever changed the lives of two innocent people,” State’s Attorney Randi L. Freese said, according to the state’s attorney’s office.
How the attack unfolded
According to McHenry police, the woman was walking her dog in the park when Link approached and launched a violent, unprovoked assault. She was first rushed to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital, then flown by helicopter to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, per a McHenry Police Department press release.
Officers arrested Link at the scene and charged him with attempted murder and multiple counts of aggravated battery. The dog ran off after the attack but was later found and placed with McHenry County Animal Control, the release stated.
Testimony and the victim’s injuries
Surgeons who treated the woman testified that she suffered catastrophic injuries to her head, face, and neck and likely would have died without immediate operations, as reported by Shaw Local/Northwest Herald. Trial testimony described Link’s dog, referred to in court by the name its owner had given it, joining the attack as Link continued striking the woman.
A Good Samaritan who intervened to try to stop the beating was also attacked, according to witnesses. The defense pursued an insanity strategy, while prosecutors pressed for a verdict of guilty but mentally ill, according to trial coverage.
Legal stakes and next steps
Under Illinois law, an attempt to commit first‑degree murder is prosecuted under the state’s attempt statute and sentenced as a serious felony within the Class X framework, which can carry multi‑decade prison terms, according to the Illinois General Assembly and related legal summaries.
Link is scheduled to be sentenced in September, when the judge will decide his prison term within those guidelines, according to court records and reporting from the Chicago Sun‑Times.
Community reaction and context
Neighbors and regular park users told reporters last year that the attack felt chillingly random and left them shaken about safety in a place many considered a peaceful neighborhood escape. Local outlets have followed the case from Link’s May 2024 arrest through each court hearing, keeping a spotlight on violence in public green spaces.
Early coverage captured the immediate aftermath, when the victim was still hospitalized and Link had just been taken into custody, according to reports from area broadcasters. The courthouse will reconvene in September for sentencing and any remaining hearings, and prosecutors say they will seek a punishment that matches the severity of the crime, ABC7 Chicago reported.
