Park Forest man sentenced to two years in 2020 New Lenox beating death

A Park Forest man originally charged with murder in the 2020 beating death of a New Lenox business owner pleaded guilty Tuesday to aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony, and was sentenced to two years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Devon Ward, 31, will be required to serve 80% of his prison sentence with credit for 17 days already served, according to Will County court records. He will have a mandatory supervised release period of six months, court records show.

Ward waived his right to a jury or bench trial Tuesday by entering a blind plea, meaning he did not know what his sentence would be, before Will County Judge David Carlson, according to court records. A bench trial had been scheduled for June 18.

Ward was accused of attacking Wayne Deutsch, 39, with a metal object June 12, 2020 at his business, Shades of Darkness Window Tinting, 13957 W. Illinois Highway, New Lenox, after an argument. Deutsch, of Orland Park, died of his injuries five days later.

At the time, police said Ward was a customer of the window tinting business who returned to the shop demanding a refund for tinting on his vehicle. The two men exchanged words when Ward left the store and then returned with a metal cylindrical object that he used to strike Deutsch several times, police said in 2020.

After beating Deutsch, Ward took about $800 from him and fled the scene, police said. After the assault, Deutsch provided detectives with a cellphone video he had taken of his attacker but declined medical treatment.

Deutsch sought treatment days later and was diagnosed with multiple broken ribs, police said in 2020. He died June 17, and an autopsy found about two liters of fluid in his lungs.

Richard Kling, defense attorney for Ward, said the pathologists believed Deutsch had multiple medical issues, including heart conditions and COVID-19, and it could not be determined that Ward’s actions during the altercation were the cause of his death. As a result, the charges were downgraded to battery, he said.

Kling said it would be impossible for the state to prove Ward was responsible for Deutsch’s death. The judge did not tell them what sentence he was thinking of imposing, Kling said. It could have ranged from probation or two to five years in prison.

While Kling said he was fighting for probation, he believed the sentence was fair.

Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.