No credit for teenager who paralyzed rival

[Max]

No credit for teenager who paralyzed rival
By Christy Gutowski and Tona Kunz Daily Herald Legal Affairs Writer
Posted 11/19/03
A Naperville teen accused of paralyzing a rival in a spat over a girl has lost his chance to be home for Christmas.

Will County Judge Rodney Lechwar said Tuesday he did not intend to give 18-year-old Matt Kure credit for the 541 days after the fight that he was confined to his home on an electronic bracelet.

Kure was convicted in August of aggravated battery and battery for the Dec. 22, 2001, fistfight. The fight ended with Kure, then 16, flipping Kyle Signorelli, then 18, onto his head, breaking Signorelli's neck and making him a quadriplegic.

Had Kure been able to use the home-monitoring time toward his 17-month sentence, he would have been eligible for a parole hearing next month at the Illinois Youth Center in St. Charles. Now Kure will have to wait another year for a hearing.

That was a crushing blow for Kure and his family.

"I could just see the disappointment in his face," his mother, Cindy Kure, said. Family members couldn't approach Matt, only view him in his prison jumpsuit and shackles.

"We don't understand how 44 days later you can change his sentence," she said. "I feel his rights were violated. We will appeal."

Across the courtroom, the Signorelli family rejoiced. They said they never had any doubts the judge intended Kure to wait for a parole hearing.

"You have got to live by the law," said Kyle's father, Scott Signorelli. "It will never be enough, but it is what should have been done. I think that's a small price to pay. Three years is nothing for what he did to my son."

The Signorellis have contacted the Illinois Department of Corrections to be notified when Kure's parole hearing occurs so they can attend.


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