Prosecutor Secure 46-Year Sentence in 2012 Sexual Assault of Pregnant Woman

A Chicago man convicted of the 2012 early morning sexual assault of a pregnant woman was sentenced to 46 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, according to the Office of Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez.

Henry Johnson, 51, was previously convicted of Aggravated Kidnapping, Aggravated Criminal Sexual Assault and Armed Robbery.

According to prosecutors, on May 28, 2012, at approximately 5 a.m., the victim, who was four months pregnant, was walking to a friend’s house near Madison and Kilbourn to pick up her children. Johnson pulled up in a green minivan, exited the minivan and approached the victim on foot. Johnson put a sharp object to the victim’s back and ordered her into the van. Once the victim was in the van, Johnson brandished the knife and threatened to kill the victim as he drove to a secluded area in the 4600 block of West Van Buren where he parked the van under trees and across from a senior citizen housing complex. Johnson then robbed the victim of her money and began to sexually assault her. During the assault, the victim observed an unlocked door and seized the opportunity to escape. The victim fled, partially clothed and without her shoes, purse and cell phone, to the senior citizen housing complex, screaming for help and banging on doors and windows until security came to her assistance and called police. The victim was taken to a local hospital and treated.

Two weeks later, while police were still investigating this case, another victim was sexually assaulted in the same area. In this case, a citizen was driving in the area of the 4600 block of West Van Buren when he observed a woman fleeing from a green minivan with her clothing in disarray. This citizen allowed the victim in his car and chased the minivan for several miles. During the chase, the citizen called police and reported the license plate to police. For safety reasons, police ordered the citizen to stop the pursuit and they took a report from the victim. This victim stated that Johnson had followed her from a party and threatened her with a knife to get her into the minivan. While Johnson was sexually assaulting her, the victim found the opportunity to forcefully twist Johnson’s genitals and escape from the van.

Johnson was arrested about an hour after the attack, double parked in front of his house with the minivan running. Both of the victims’ cellphones were in his possession at the time of the arrest.

Johnson appeared at a sentencing hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago, where Cook County Judge Dominica Stevenson imposed the 46 year sentence.

State’s Attorney Alvarez thanked Assistant State’s Attorneys Leanna Rajk and Krista Peterson and the Chicago Police for their work on this case.