Coverage report

“Prosecutors said Javier Molina, 25, of Crystal Lake broke into the home of a sleeping woman on the 300 block of Ridge Avenue and beat and raped her in an attack that lasted more than an hour.” The woman was 61 years old.

His fate? “With credit for good behavior, Molina, who prosecutors said had lived in the United States illegally for 18 months before the attack, would have to serve about 26 years of his sentence. Afterward, he likely would be deported to Mexico.”

The above quotes are from The Northwest Herald, 12/28/07. It is a publication of Shaw Suburban Media. The story was 523 words in length.

So, how did the other papers treat the story?

The Chicago Tribune printed 125 words (four paragraphs) and did not mention Molina’s immigration status.

The Daily Herald, a Paddock Publication, used 367 words in its story. They also neglected to report on his immigration status.

I could find no evidence that the Chicago Sun Times or any of its publications even covered the story.

For comparison, here are the three stories

Northwest Herald:
Man gets 30 years for CL rape
Northwest Herald 12/28/07
By BRANDON COUTRE - bcoutre@nwherald.com
WOODSTOCK – A judge Thursday handed a 30-year prison sentence to a man who attacked and raped a woman in her Crystal Lake home last year in a crime that the judge called “every woman’s worst fear.”
Prosecutors said Javier Molina, 25, of Crystal Lake broke into the home of a sleeping woman on the 300 block of Ridge Avenue and beat and raped her in an attack that lasted more than an hour.”I awoke to a stranger standing in my doorway,” the victim said during the sentencing hearing. “I knew that if I didn’t pretend to agree with what he wanted, I wouldn’t survive.”
Molina pleaded guilty in October to aggravated criminal sexual assault under the agreement that prosecutors would seek no more than a 35-year prison sentence, which they sought Thursday.
The woman suffered injuries from the June 11, 2006, attack that included bruising, facial fractures and torn ligaments. She said she continued to suffer from dizziness, memory loss and other aliments.“Something else happened to me that night – I learned to hate,” she said. “I lived 62 years without this emotion and now I will carry it with me the rest of my life.”
The attack drastically altered her life, said the victim, who the Northwest Herald is not naming to protect her identity.“I went from being a highly active intelligent person to someone who can’t do much of anything,” she said.As a result of permanent memory loss, the victim said she was forced to give up her personal accounting business and now suffers financial hardship.
The attack altered her social life, too, she said.“I also find people avoid me, because they’re uncomfortable knowing what happened to me,” she said.
During the hearing, Molina’s court-appointed attorney, McHenry County Assistant Public Defender Richard Behof, asked Judge Sharon Prather to give Molina no more than 18 years in prison.
A doctor who evaluated the defendant suggested Molina could be delusional, Behof said, adding that the attack was fueled by a large amount of alcohol.During the hearing, Molina’s uncle testified that he sat in the courtroom shocked when the victim recounted the attack.“He was a boy who was very alert and intelligent,” Jose Benavides said through and interpreter. “He was a very obedient man.”
Nichole Owens, criminal chief of the state’s attorney’s office, scolded Molina for not showing any remorse for the crime and being deceptive during the police investigation.Shortly after Molina left the victim’s home, police found him nearby, passed out in the back of his car. When first questioned as to why he had blood on his clothing, Molina told police he was roasting a pig for his birthday and he must have scratched himself with a spear, Owens said.“The more he is questioned, the more his story changed,” Owens said.
Molina declined to make a statement in the courtroom before he was sentenced.With credit for good behavior, Molina, who prosecutors said had lived in the United States illegally for 18 months before the attack, would have to serve about 26 years of his sentence. Afterward, he likely would be deported to Mexico.

Chicago Tribune:
Crystal Lake man gets 30 years for raping woman, 61
Chicago Tribune staff report
December 28, 2007
McHENRY COUNTY - A Crystal Lake man was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in prison for the rape last year of a 61-year-old woman.
Javier Molina, 25, pleaded guilty in October to three counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault. He will be required to serve at least 85 percent of the sentence, said Nichole Owens, chief of criminal prosecutions for the McHenry County state's attorney's office.
The victim, who lives in Crystal Lake, testified at the sentencing hearing that she still has physical and emotional problems from the attack in her home on June 11, 2006.
"She still has some surgery ahead of her," Owens said. "She has dizzy spells. She has difficulty walking. Her physical injuries and her emotional trauma are likely to continue."

Daily Herald:
Crystal Lake rapist gets 30 years in prison
By Charles Keeshan Daily Herald Staff
Published: 12/28/2007 12:07 AM
Calling the crime every woman's worst fear, a McHenry County judge Thursday sentenced a Crystal Lake man to 30 years in prison for the violent rape of a 61-year-old woman in her home.

Javier Molina, 245 W. Terra Cotta, must serve at least 25½ years of the sentence handed down in connection with a June 11, 2006, attack that left the woman with permanent brain damage, hand and leg injuries and emotional trauma she said robbed her of happiness in her life.

"I survived, but it's been harder than anything I could have imagined," the woman said in court. "I am not the same person I was before the attack."
Molina pleaded guilty in October to three counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault as part of a deal in which McHenry County prosecutors agreed to seek a sentence no longer than 35 years.

Authorities say Molina's victim was home alone when he entered her Crystal Lake residence, punched and elbowed her repeatedly, slammed her head on a floor then raped her before leaving.

Police later found him passed out drunk in a car parked next door. He eventually confessed during police questioning, authorities said.

The attack, the woman said Thursday, left her with multiple concussions, torn thumb ligaments and bruises on more than 60 percent of her body. Even worse, she said, are the mental and emotional consequences that have her constantly fearful and awake several times a night checking her door locks.

"There's very little happiness in my life, and I doubt there ever will be," she said. "Calling (Molina) a man would be an insult to my sons and every other man in my life. Real men don't do this."

Molina did not make a statement when given the opportunity in court. But his attorney described him as remorseful, noted that he has no criminal history and blamed his actions on his extreme intoxication the night of the attack.

"In all my years of doing this, I've never seen a case with facts so severe, and I have a
hard time matching those facts up to Mr. Molina," Senior Assistant Public Defender Richard Behof said. "It baffles me the situation my client finds himself in."