A late-night confrontation over noise turned fatal when a father of two was beaten outside his home and left to die on a Lake County beach.
WAUKEGAN, IL – Two Illinois men were convicted this week in the 2022 killing of 45-year-old Matthew Ascaridis, a case prosecutors said involved severe and prolonged violence that left the victim with catastrophic injuries. A Lake County jury on Saturday found Nicholas Caban, 23, and Jacob Firestone, 22, guilty on all counts, including second-degree murder, following a six-day trial.
Prosecutors presented testimony from more than a dozen witnesses, including law enforcement, medical personnel, and expert witnesses, outlining the events that led to Ascaridis’ death in the early morning hours of Sept. 17, 2022, at Fort Sheridan Beach in Highland Park.
Evidence and testimony presented at trial
Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said the case was supported by both forensic and circumstantial evidence. “was killed due to excessive violence from these two offenders,” Rinehart said. “thankful that the jury closely followed the forensic and circumstantial evidence in order to see the truth and to convict both offenders on all counts.”
According to a release from the prosecutor’s office, officers responding to multiple noise complaints discovered Ascaridis unresponsive on the beach at about 5:12 a.m. Authorities reported he showed signs of severe trauma.
An autopsy by the Lake County Coroner’s Office found the victim suffered “catastrophic injuries” to his spinal cord, injuries typically associated with high-impact incidents such as car crashes. Testimony indicated Ascaridis was struck repeatedly in the head with significant force, resulting in a lacerated spinal cord.
Events leading up to the fatal encounter
The confrontation began hours earlier after Ascaridis and his wife heard ongoing noise near their home. His wife testified the couple had been preparing for a trip around 11 p.m. when the disturbances began. After calling police twice and being told a response could be delayed, Ascaridis went to the beach around 1 a.m. to investigate.
At the beach, he encountered Caban and Firestone, leading to what authorities described as a violent confrontation. Prosecutors said the defendants did not immediately call for help after the assault. Instead, they waited hours before contacting authorities, leaving Ascaridis “alone on the beach, unable to move, gasping for air” before he died.
When officers responded to a 911 call at approximately 5:23 a.m. at Caban’s residence, they found Firestone injured in the yard and Caban nearby. Both men initially claimed Ascaridis attacked them and was injured in a fall, but prosecutors said medical findings and DNA evidence contradicted those accounts.
Caban and Firestone, who were 20 and 18 at the time of the incident, each face between four and 20 years in prison, to be served at 50%. Sentencing is scheduled for June 18.
A GoFundMe page described Ascaridis as an “incredible husband” and a “devoted father” who “always greeted friends and family with his warmth and a smile.”
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